Moving On
by NanouBE76
Summary: Sequel to story "To the Grave". We follow Caitlin Voight as she moves on in her life and the rest of the CPD Intelligence Unit as well as enemies and friends from Chicago Fire and Chicago Med.
1. It's only me!

_**A year later:**_

Alvin walked into Molly's and headed for the bar.

"Hey Hermann, can I have a Scotch"?

"Sure thing".

"Oh and no ice, thanks".

Hermann nodded as he prepared Alvin's drink.

Once Alvin had received his Scotch, he headed over to the table where most of the CPD team was sitting and caught wind of their conversation.

"I mean, how can someone vanish just like that"? said Jay.

"Who are we talking about"? asked Alvin.

Kim looked at him. "Caitlin".

"When you have the experience Caitlin has in going undercover, trust me it's very easy to become someone else and disappear". He said as he took a sip from his glass.

"So, what you're saying is that she took on another identity and that's why we can't find any leads"?

Alvin's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about"?

"I've been trying to find Caitlin for a while now using all our CPD tools", said Jay as he took a sip of his beer. "She doesn't show up on flight manifests, no usage of credit cards, her National Security Number hasn't been used and her phone has been off service ever since she.." he took his two hands and pretended to cite the words. "disappeared".

Adam chipped in. "She didn't even say goodbye or tell anyone where she was going. One days she's here, the next day, there's a sold sign on the house and she's gone"!

"And what about the baby? I know she can raise it on her own but we could've helped".

Alvin let out an ironic laugh. "Help? Like you did when she was at the bottom of the pit when Antonio went missing? Some kind of support system you all were".

Jay stood and got close to Alvin, almost threatening him. "Fuck you Alvin! She was my partner. You think I enjoyed keeping her in the dark, you really think I had much of a choice? That any of us did"?

"She was your partner when it interested you, for your own benefit. And yes! You had a choice, you all did. You just didn't have the balls to make the right one. I did! I was there. I saw her almost every day. I saw her struggle and hurt and feel abandoned by all of those she cared the most about. So, if you aren't man enough to live with the choices you made, that's not my problem, but don't ever tell me again that you didn't have a choice"!

Jay backed up and sat back down. "Well, at least we know she'll be back from wherever she is, in 6 months".

They all nodded. No one needed to speak. They all knew that Wendell's trial was in six months and that Caitlin both on a personal and professional level may need to testify, like most of them were going to need to do.

Alvin looked at Kim. "You don't need to worry about the baby".

"Why"?

"Caitlin miscarried a week after Antonio's funeral. The doctors said it was due to a post-traumatic stress or some sort of physical anomaly. So, I don't think anyone can blame her for skipping town when she has lost not only her friends, her family but also the two people that meant everything to her".

Gabby arrived at their table with a new round of drinks.

"Hey Al, I was wondering if you'd heard from Cat"?

Alvin shook his head. "You know I would tell you if she had contacted me".

Adam frowned as he looked at Alvin. "Wait, are you saying that she's not even in contact with you"?

He shook his head. He was sad about that, but he knew that when the time came, she would. Or at least he hoped so.

"I just wish, I could thank her in person", said Gabby.

"What are you talking about"? asked Jay.

"When Caitlin sold the house, she gave Eva and Diego each, a third of the money that she put in a savings fund to help them pay off their college tuition or first car, whatever they needed".

"We are terrible, terrible people", said Kim. "Not that I didn't think so before you said that, but how could we have been so selfish when after all she's been through, she can be so selfless and altruistic".

She stood from her stool. "I think I'm going to go home now. I'm not so much in the mood anymore to have a night out".

Adam stood. "I'll go with you".

She put a hand on his chest. "No it's fine. Stay around here for a while. I kind of need to feel bad on my own. I'll take a cab and I'll see you when you come home".

He knew her well enough to know that she needed to be alone.

Alvin finished his Scotch in a single gulp. "I'll see you guys tomorrow".

He took his car and drove out 15 minutes to a quaint building on South Clark Street, in Dearborn Village. He parked his car and took out the keys to apartment 25. The apartment was great. It had one bedroom and one bath. A living room, dining room and kitchen. It was more than he'd had in a long time. It sure changed him from having lived in his garage. In the beginning he didn't feel at home or comfortable living there, but over time, the place had grown on him and he had finally felt at home; his home.

When he opened the door, something felt different. Always on his guard, he walked over to the armoire in the hallway and pulled out a Glock 17 from the drawer. He was puzzled. There didn't seem to be any signs of breaking in but something was off. He slowly walked into the main rooms and scanned them quietly. Suddenly, as he neared the bedroom area, he heard the sound of water flowing coming from the bathroom. He walked towards the room and noticed that the door was slightly ajar. He opened it carefully with his foot, ready to take down the perpetrator. He did find it quite odd that someone who had potentially broken into his place was doing nothing more than take a shower.

He could see movement behind the opaque shower curtain as it moved and aimed his gun in its direction as went to grab the curtain with his free hand.

"You can put your gun down. It's only me"!

Instantaneously, he lowered his gun as he recognized the voice. A voice that was a sweet melody to his ears.


	2. I haven't decided yet

Alvin stood there and watched as the shower curtain got pulled back slightly and Caitlin showed her face.

He smiled mockingly at her. "You know I could have shot you! How did you even hear me walk in"?

She too smiled. "I have perfected my sense of hearing. Besides that, I smelled a mix of Scotch and your aftershave the minute you walked into the room. I'm still debating whether or not that mix is to attract woman or ward them off"!

He lifted an eyebrow but said nothing.

"I'll just be another minute", she said as she disappeared behind the curtain again. At first, he simply stood there, coat and hat on, with his Glock still in his hand. He couldn't believe that she was back. This was the best news and surprise he'd had in the past year. After it settled in, he walked out of the bathroom and headed for the hallway again. He put the Glock back in its place and removed his coat and hat before heading for the kitchen. He opened the fridge. He knew it was late, but he wanted to be able to offer her something. He frowned upon seeing how empty it was. He took a mental note to go grocery shopping the next day. It may have been too early to say, but he hoped, she was at least here to stay for a while.

When he'd closed the fridge and turned around, she was standing in the middle of the living room. Her hair was longer, her skin darker and from the tank top and tight sweatpants she was wearing, he could tell that she had lost weight and toned up. Her hair was still damp but not dripping. She looked beautiful.

He smiled at her and she smiled back. He walked over to her and took her into an embrace. She hugged him back and sighed in relief. It wasn't just because of the human contact or touch, it was just that after all she had been through, he had always been there for her and she felt safe.

He let her go and looked at her. "Are you hungry? I've got some left over Chinese food from last night".

"Sounds great".

"Alright then, I'll heat them up a bit".

As he returned towards the kitchen, she walked around. When she had arrived, she had directly headed for the shower and hadn't inventoried the place. It might have seemed strange but without him being there, she felt almost as though she was violating his intimacy, but know he was there and things were different.

She liked what he had done. The furniture he had chosen and the few decorations he had put into place that had given it The Alvin Touch.

Alvin brought the Chinese over and put them down on the living room coffee table along with chopsticks and napkins. He sat down and watched her. She stopped briefly in front of a picture of him, Hank and her father. As if looking at it was too hard to bear, she turned away and met Alvin in the sofa.

"So, we've got Chicken Fried Rice, Beef Chop Suey, Sweet and Sour Pork and Egg Rolls. Take your pick".

He smiled as she took the Chicken Fried Rice, her all-time favorite, a pair of chopsticks and settled comfortably in the sofa with her legs crossed.

He looked at his watch. It was 11:30pm. "Not the best time to eat dinner. I'm sorry".

"Are you kidding? For starters, I'm starving and secondly, my body is still in another time zone. It's dinner time for me".

He grabbed the Sweet and Sour Pork. "Where were you"?

She swallowed. "In Hawaii".

"Nice. And here, I thought all this time, that you were lying dead in some alley in Philadelphia or Detroit"!

She looked down. "I'm sorry Al. I should have called but I guess, I didn't do it for two reasons".

"I'm curious as to what those may be".

"Well, I needed to heal on my own, on my own terms. For a while, I was a real mess and I didn't want anyone to be a witness to that".

"Fair enough", he said between bites.

"And the second reason is Hank. You two were in a very bad place when I left. I hoped that with me gone and out of the picture, you would make amends and your friendship would pick up where it had left off. And wanting that, I knew that if I was in contact with you and not him, that I'd be again putting you in a difficult situation in regards to him".

He put his hand out on her folded leg. "Cat, you are not responsible for what happened between Hank and I, that's all on him. But, I respect that you did what you did".

"So, things haven't improved"?

"Let's just say, we remain professional, but aside from that, we each go our own way".

She put her hand down on his. "I'm sorry. That's the last thing I wanted".

"I know. Enough talk about that. Tell me about Hawaii".

"Well, Hawaii was my last destination. I travelled quite a lot during these past six months. But it was the place I stayed the longest in. It was beautiful and I really managed to find peace and rebuild myself. I did a lot of walking around, spent time with the locals, worked out and most of all rested on the beach".

He felt relieved and happy that it had been the case. After Antonio's funeral and her miscarriage she had been the ghost of a shell. "How'd you pull it off? Going from one place to another? You never popped up on flight manifests".

She looked at him in a questioning way.

"Hey, don't look at me. It's Jay apparently that was trying to find you".

Jay. She didn't want to think about him either that night.

"I have an old friend at the DEA who owed me a favor. He's got this amazing talent in fake documents".

Alvin laughed. "You were travelling under an alias"?

"I didn't have to dig hard to find one. Elizabeth Wyatt".

He nodded. Of course, had Jay known her like he did, that name on a flight manifest would have sparked his interest. Elizabeth was Caitlin's middle name and Wyatt had been her mother's maiden name.

They finished eating and doing small-talk. As he put everything away, he watched as Caitlin got comfy in the couch and started yawning. He walked into his room and opened the linen closet and returned to the living room with an extra pillow and blanket. He placed them on the end of the sofa.

"You can take the room", he said.

"Nah, the couch is fine".

"Caitlin, don't argue with me. Take the bed".

She stood. "Alvin, this is your home, I'm crashing here without even giving you a heads up. Heck, I didn't even think about you being or living with someone, so the least I can do is take the couch".

"This is my home solely because you bought it for me, so it's just as much yours as it is mine".

She walked up to him. "Al, I bought this apartment for you because you deserve better than to live in that crappy garage and because I knew that if I didn't do it and kick you in the ass, you'd never move out. It may have been my funds, but it's your name on the deed".

"Exactly, so I get to decide who sleeps where. Now, please, take the bed. I'm used to sleeping on a couch remember? And this one is a 5-star couch. I'll be more than fine".

Feeling way too tired to fight him on it, she caved in.

He gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead and watched as she headed towards his bedroom.

"Hey Cat"?

She stopped and turned around. "Yeah"?

"You're here to stay right"?

She looked at him puzzled.

"I don't mean here in my apartment but Chicago".

She pressed her lips together. "I haven't decided yet".

"Regardless, you can stay here for as long as you need".

"Thanks Al. Goodnight".

"Night Cat".

He waited until she was out of sight and heard the door close before stripping down to the appropriate bare minimum and lied down on the couch. He didn't fall asleep right away. He just thought about her and the fact that she was back. Maybe everything would work out in the end. She would settle back for good in Chicago, get reinstated at CPD, things with the others would eventually go back to the way they had been and somehow in the midst of it all, he and Hank would make amends. He wondered, if things could really be that simple. Only time would tell.


	3. Elizabeth Wyatt

The following morning, Caitlin woke up late due to her jetlag. By the time she emerged from the bedroom into the kitchen, Al had already left for work. On the kitchen counter was a freshly squeezed orange juice, a thermos of hot coffee and a croissant. She smiled knowing that he had left earlier that morning to make sure that she had something to eat for breakfast.

Yet, all in all, she felt bad. She hadn't been fully honest with him, but she couldn't take any judgement, disappointing or disapproving look from him. And she knew he wouldn't condone what she was doing, had he ever found out that she had actually been back in Chicago for almost two weeks.

She ate quickly, got dressed and headed out the door wearing a pair of black jeans, back high boots, a top that put all her assets forward without looking like a whore and a ponytail. She hailed a cab once she got outside on the main road and she felt rather happy with herself as he couldn't stop eyeing her from his rearview mirror.

When the cab parked in front of "Rossi's Liquors" bar near the North Side of Chicago, she paid the driver and stepped out. It was almost 11 o'clock.

Jay walked past Alvin's desk and caught a glimpse of what he was looking at. "Who is Elizabeth Wyatt"? he asked Alvin.

Alvin quickly closed the open window he had on their online ID tool. "No, one".

"If it's no one then why are you looking her up"?

"It's a potential informant. I'm just checking her background".

Jay said nothing more as he returned to his seat, but he was more than certain that Alvin was bullshitting him big time. When Hank sent Alvin and Kevin to gather some information on a missing person in a nursing home, he opened the tool and entered the name of Elizabeth Wyatt.

There was nothing available in the background section. He quickly looked around to see if anyone was watching him. The fact that Alvin had lied to him, sparked even more his curiosity and he ran the name through different systems. Finally, he got a hit on flight manifests and there had been some. First from Chicago to New Zealand, then shorter flights to different locations in Asia. Three months ago, Elizabeth Wyatt had returned to the US through Paris and had gone to some of the major cities in the US: New York, Miami, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and then had ended up in Hawaii for two months before returning to Chicago two weeks ago. Whoever she was, it was a lot of travelling and Jay wondered what Alvin's interest in this person was. He quickly called a friend he had over at immigration, who owed him a favor, so that he could send him a scan of the passport photo of Elizabeth Wyatt.

One hour later, Jay got the email in from his friend. He very cautiously opened the attachment and his heart skipped a beat and he held his breath as he looked at the picture. It was Caitlin! He closed the file and email and headed for the kitchen. He paced the floor as he hesitated to take a cup of coffee. Did Al know who Elizabeth Wyatt was? Did he know she was in Chicago? Was he keeping this from them? Why was Caitlin not telling anyone she was back? And why all those trips? Was she back with the DEA working undercover? Tons of questions and no answers.

He headed back to his desk and quickly ran a face recognition on Caitlin for the past 24 hours. Within seconds he got a hit. She had been seen walking into a bar not too far from the district a little over and hour ago and apparently had not left it. He stood quickly, put on his coat and ran downstairs where he bumped into Alvin and Kevin.

"Whoa, slow down buddy! Where you going"? asked Kevin.

"I've got a personal errand I need to run that I forgot about. I should be back right after lunch".


	4. I was looking for you

When Jay arrived at the bar, it was closed. That was strange, he was sure that he had seen Caitlin go in an hour earlier. There was no sign to indicate that they'd had to close momentarily and no matter what he tried, the door wouldn't budge and he couldn't catch a glimpse of anyone inside. The first thought that came to his mind was that Caitlin was in danger and he had to see for himself what the situation was. He went around the back alley to see if he could get in. As he peered into the back window and tried to open the back door he felt the cold, metallic, nuzzle of a gun on the back of his head. He closed his eyes and swore silently.

"You lose something"? the raspy voice asked from behind.

"Hey man, no way. I just want to have a beer is all. I've been having a really rough day at work and I usually come here to you know, vent", said Jay still with his hands up and his back turned.

"Really? What's the bartender's name"?

"Are you serious? Like I really give a damn", said Jay. "I come here for the booze and the women, half the time I'm pissed drunk by the time I leave here and you think I'm going to remember the name of the bartender"?

Another man's voice was heard, it was deep and ice-cold. "I'm not buying his crap. Search him".

A third guy arrived and searched Jay. "I've got a gun and well well… would you take a look at this".

"What you got Vitto"? asked the man in the deep voice.

"We've got ourselves a cop", said Vitto.

"Bring me his plaque".

Vitto gave the plaque over.

"Detective Jay Halstead. Never heard of him. Tony, turn him around so that I can see him".

Tony turned Jay around and Jay's eyes opened up wide. He was standing nose to nose with none other than Kenny Rixton in a three-piece Armani suit and a full-grown mustache.

"Look, apparently, I'm just in the wrong place at the wrong time. You can just let me go and that'll be the end of it", said Jay calmly. This was Kenny, what could possibly go wrong.

"Matteo, what do we have here"? said an older man coming from inside the bar through the backdoor.

Kenny closed his eyes for a second and Jay realized that things weren't going as either him or Kenny would have wanted.

Before Kenny/Matteo could answer, Marcello grabbed the plaque and looked at Jay. "Not your lucky day". He looked at Kenny. "Get rid of him"!

Kenny nodded as Marcello went back inside.

"So what? You're going to kill me"? asked Jay.

"No. Not me at least. I don't handle the messy stuff around here". He turned to Vitto. "Go get Frankie".

A few minutes later, the backdoor opened and Jay knew he had stepped into something he really, really shouldn't have.

Alongside Kenny/Matteo came up a beautiful woman Frankie/Elizabeth/Caitlin. Kenny looked at her. "Boss needs you to get rid of him, he's a cop"!

Frankie/Caitlin walked around Jay touching him every so often with the tip of her finger. Even though he was in a bad position, he couldn't help but feel electric waves go through his body. "We hate cops. We hate agents. Hell, we hate all law-enforcement and when we are confronted with one, we kill him. You picked the wrong job, the wrong day and the wrong crew my friend".

Frankie/Caitlin looked at Vitto. "Tie him up, gag him and put him on the back seat under a blanket. I'll handle it".

She looked at Jay again. "It's a real pity, I really like what I see, maybe I can have some fun with you before I kill you".

Kenny/Matteo coughed slightly and uncomfortably. She walked over to him. "Don't be jealous, he'll be dead in less than two hours". She leaned up against him and kissed him. He held on to her tighter and kissed her back. She pulled away and looked at him. "Tell Marcello it will be taken care of. I'll bring proof of course and I'll see you at your place tonight"!

Vitto placed Jay on the back seat and he felt the car shift as Frankie/Caitlin sat in the driver's seat and turned on the engine. What seemed to be ten minutes later, the car stopped and he heard the door open and close first the driver's then the back seat's. The blanket was yanked off. She broke the plastic restraints around his hands and legs and ripped off the tape on his mouth. She stepped away from the car and walked further away her backed turned from him.

He came out of the car and walked over.

"Cat"? he said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

What came next he didn't expect. The full force slap she sent his way as she turned around, left an incredible sting on his cheek. He had never been hit like that by a woman before… he didn't even know it was possible. She must have really been pissed off. After standing briefly in a state of shock, she took his face in her hands and looked at him.

"Are you fucking insane! You could have gotten yourself killed! What the hell were you doing there"? she was pissed off and she was scared. Not just about what that meant for her but what it meant for him.

"Do you have any idea that if their cold-blooded killer wasn't me, you'd be dead by now"!?

"I was looking for you"!

"What"? she said as she removed her hands from his face.

"I was looking for you"!

"Yeah, I got that part, but why? And how do you even know I'm in Chicago"?

"Alvin was looking into an Elizabeth Wyatt at work. I got curious".

Caitlin sighed. "And you stuck your nose in it as always". She felt bad. Had she been straightforward with Alvin about what she was doing back in Chicago, none of this would have happened. She felt guilty.

"Now what"? he asked.

"Now, I'm going to clean up the mess you just made".

She walked to the car and grabbed something from under the body. It was a cellphone. She dialed a number as Jay walked back towards her.

"This is Renegade. I've got a hen on the loose. I need a team to meet me at District 21 in thirty minutes and have Carson contact Sergeant Hank Voight over at Intelligence".

She closed the phone and leaned against the car for a minute then headed for the driver's seat. "Come on let's go, so I can save your ass from this mess"!

They said nothing on the drive over to 21. Jay walked in first followed by Caitlin. Trudy was busing processing some files when another cop nudged her. "Hey Sergeant, isn't that Detective Voight"?

Trudy looked up just as Jay and Caitlin walked up towards the cage door. Trudy simply nodded and wondered what was happening. It seemed as though the Intelligence Unit was up to something considering the visits they were having for the moment.

When they arrived upstairs, Special Agent Ted Carson and Hank were having a yell out in the middle of the open space and neither one of them seemed to realize their presence, even if by then the rest of the team had noticed an all too familiar face. Alvin stood and walked over to Hank to try and get his attention but Hank didn't.

"Enough"!

Both Hank and Ted stopped and turned their attention towards the stairs. Apparently, Ted hadn't had the time to explain everything in detail because, Hank took a step back upon seeing Caitlin.

"Caitlin"?

"Hello Hank".

Ted walked over to her. "Special Agent Voight, the team is ready downstairs in the garage to follow protocol".

She nodded. "Thank you. Please take Detective Halstead with you and get busy. I'll need to report back within the hour and with substantial proof, if I don't want to blow my cover".

She quickly shot Alvin a look almost begging for forgiveness and he simply turned away and headed for the kitchen. She looked up at the ceiling. This was not the way she had wanted this to go. She hoped that he of all people would understand why she hadn't been able to say anything.

Jay followed Special Agent Carson downstairs as Caitlin and Hank looked at each other from across the room.

"We need to talk", said Hank as he headed back towards his office.

The rest of the team wanted to say hi to Caitlin but the tension in the wrong was so high that they refrained from doing so. Caitlin walked across the room and they all watched as Hank closed the door behind her.

Adam looked at Kim. "Well, at least we know she's alive".


	5. You brought me back to life!

Hank leaned back in his chair as Caitlin remained standing against the door.

"You're moving on up in the world I see", said Hank.

"They came looking for me. I don't recall CPD doing the same".

"You used to hate the FBI"!

"I used to have a family, a husband, friends, a job… a lot of things have changed Hank, in case you'd forgotten".

It was a simple sentence, but it hit him hard.

"You quit, remember", he tried to fight back in his defense but it was obviously useless.

"I didn't have a choice. Either I quit or Crowley would have put me out of a job herself. I guess I preferred making things easy on everyone, keep the family name's reputation. I guess I figured that if I went down quietly, she'd spare you and your job. I guess you were the big winner in that game cause you're still here and up until a couple of months ago, I was the wreck with no job".

He said nothing.

"However, I do recall you keeping the team on a tight leash during Antonio's case, I wonder how Jay managed to slip out of here on his own, without a partner and end up in my custody to kill? Marcello Lombardi is not someone you want to mess around with. He has a thing out for killing cops and federal agents, with no apparent reason. He's an exterminator. I would have thought after what had happened to Antonio, you'd keep better tabs on your unit"!

He stood enraged but no words came out of his mouth. There was nothing he could say.

"That's alright. I didn't expect you to say anything to that. I know the way out".

She grabbed the doorknob. "Cat… thanks".

She turned around. "I don't owe you anything. Jay saved my life twice, I still owe him. But don't for one second think I did this for you or your unit".

She walked out and found herself nose to nose with Hailey Upton. "Who are you"?

"Detective Upton and you"?

"Stay close to your partner or else, I'll become your worst nightmare"!

Upton blinked a couple of times. She had been late into work that day and literally had no idea what had happened.

Cat was about to go into the kitchen and talk to Alvin when Kenny walked in.

"Cat, we need to get out of here and head back to Marcello's or we're busted".

Adam stood and looked at Kenny. "You're in on this too"?

Kenny nodded and looked at Caitlin. "Cat come on"!

"Just give me a sec".

She walked hastily into the kitchen and stood in front of Alvin. "Please don't hate me. I'll explain everything tonight". She planted a soft kiss on his cheek. He looked her deep in the eyes and saw that she wasn't faking her guilt.

"Get outta here"! he said understandingly.

When she reached Kenny, Adam got in their way. "We met up once a week for beers and you never told us about this or Caitlin. Man, I thought we were friends"!?

"Drop it Adam", said Jay as he headed back upstairs. "They're only doing their jobs".

Jay looked at Kenny then at Caitlin.

"I still owe you one", she said to Jay.

"Let's hope you never have to". He turned his attention to Kenny. "You watch over her".

"I'll guard her with my life, but in all honesty, she's more the one to have my back than the other way around". Kenny looked at Adam who seemed pissed off.

"When this whole thing is over, we should all go and have beers. It'll be my treat".

That evening at almost midnight, Caitlin walked into Alvin's apartment. She was exhausted from the strain of her day, but also the emotional side of things.

He was waiting for her in the living room, like a father waiting for her daughter to arrive around curfew. He noticed she had changed and was wearing a black fitted dress and black high heels. She wasn't wearing any pantyhose, but with her toned and tanned legs it wasn't needed.

She walked over and sat down on the coffee table just across from where he was sitting.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't tell you anything without putting you at risk or compromising the operation. You know it has nothing to do with any lack of trust".

"How long have you been back in Chicago"?

"Two weeks".

"And before Hawaii"?

"Dallas, Miami, LA, NYC. We were putting this operation together. Hawaii was just a way for the FBI to give us some time to ourselves before what could have been a long undercover stunt".

"Us? Let me guess Kenny"?

"It's not what you think".

"Jay said he saw the two of you kiss. Are you together"?

"Our aliases are together, yeah, that's also why we went to Hawaii together, to get to know each other better and make it so that our story was believable".

"Fine", he said as he stood up and headed towards the kitchen.

She followed him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean"?

"Just watch your back. Remember, I've been in one of those undercover gigs where you need to get involved and then I learned I had a daughter I didn't even know about".

"I'm being careful Al. The only reason I came here was that I want to keep my sanity and be around you because I know you get me, you understand me and Kenny and I get some space. So if this is going to be a problem for you, let me know now and I'm out of here".

"Not a problem", he said bluntly.

She took a step back as she watched him grab a glass and a bottle of whiskey. "Why am I even justifying myself to you. You're not my father, you're not Hank and you're not my boss"!

She turned and walked away. She grabbed her coat and handbag and headed for the door as he opened the bottle of whiskey. He paused for a moment, then put the lid back on the bottle and headed after her. He arrived just as she was opening the door. Being taller than her, he placed his hand up on the door frame and closed it.

Stunned, she looked up at him.

"Don't go". He took her coat from her hands and her handbag and placed them on the armoire. "You're right, I'm not your father, I'm not Hank and I'm definitely not your boss and I'm glad I'm not, even if sometimes I wished I was because it would make things so much easier on me".

Caitlin looked at him inquisitively.

He put his hand on her face. "You're right. I get you, I understand you just like you do for me. And I've battled this for a while now and I'm still trying to figure out when you started to take such an important part in my life. How you managed to ease your way into my callous heart and soften it"?

Still with his hand on her face, he placed the other one around her waist as his heart pounded in his chest. He pulled her into him. He held her against him for a few seconds. She pulled back gently and slightly away from him but not breaking his hold on her. She looked up at him.

"Cat, you brought meaning back into my life, you brought me back to life"!

She searched his eyes. He placed a finger underneath her chin and as he raised it up, he lowered his head and gently his lips met hers. It was a soft and gentle kiss. She had been hesitant at first and scared. Aside from Kenny, for whom she had no feelings for whatsoever, she hadn't kissed any other man since Antonio. All this time, she had been scared of how she would feel when she would kiss a man for the first time, a man she truly cared for. Would she feel guilt, remorse, anger, sadness? But as Alvin tightened his hold on her and his kiss became more intense, she realized that she felt none of those things. That, on the contrary, there was nothing more she wanted.

She parted her lips and her desire for him rose as she felt his tongue meet hers passionately. Their tongues danced with one another for a while as she passed her hand underneath his black t-shirt and his hand dug into her hair. He slowly pulled back and looked at her.

"Cat", he said as he drowned his eyes into hers.

She put her finger on his lips to hush him and took his hand. She led him through the living room into the bedroom. Once inside she removed her heels and unzipped the back of her dress. She gently pulled the front away from her chest and it slid off revealing a beautiful black lace corset and tanga thong. As he looked at her in the dim light of the room, he felt his already growing manhood harden more. The vision of her standing there in front of him was something he would never forget and he realized how he had yearned for her these past months. He took her into his arms again and fervently kissed her. He let her break free for a moment as she removed his t-shirt then went back in for more as his hands slowly discovered the parts of her body that were available to him. She undid his belt and undid his jean button and zipper, letting it fall to the ground. He stepped out of them and watched as she sat down on the edge of the bed. As he leaned in, one hand firmly placed beside her on the bed, she followed him and leaned back to a fully laying position. There, over her, he managed to visit every part of her body with his hands, lips and tongue. She moaned and shivered with pleasure upon his every touch and when he gently slid into her, she felt as though she was going to explode. Their lovemaking was not hard and fast, it had been the complete opposite. It had been soft, passionate and long. When they climaxed together and collapsed in each other's arms, both knew that not only there were no words to describe what they were feeling, but that neither of them wanted it to end!


	6. Be my guest!

When Alvin's alarm clock rang at 6 am he instinctively turned it off before slowly opening his eyes. As he opened them, he remembered every moment from the night before. Their first time together and the ones that followed throughout the night when they woke in each other's arms. He rolled over to an empty space and sat up.

He got out of bed and headed for the bathroom, where he found Caitlin in the shower. He opened the curtain slightly and joined her. He kissed her neck and she turned around.

"You're in my shower again", he said mockingly.

"Yes, I am, aren't I"?

He suddenly felt as though he was invading her personal space. The last time he'd had a morning after shower with a woman had been light years ago. He wasn't sure what to say or what to do and he didn't want it to be awkward. "I'm sorry, maybe you wanted to be alone", he said as he turned around and prepared to step out.

She grabbed his hand gently. "Al"?

He turned around. She moved in and settled her body against his. "Stay", she said as her hands caressed his chest. She smiled at him. "I don't want this to be awkward".

"I haven't done this in a very long time", he said almost apologizing.

"I know. Just go with what your heart and instincts tell you to do".

And so he did. He closed his eyes briefly and listened to what his heart wanted. When he reopened them, he put his arms around her and kissed her at first gently and softly, then feeling his desire for her, his need for her grow, his kissing became more passionate and breath-taking. She shadowed his every move and claimed her once more as the hot water flowed over them.

An hour later, they were both dressed and having a quick breakfast. At 7:30 she looked at her watch and stood from the kitchen stool. She weaved her way between his legs as he sat on the stool beside hers. "I need to go".

He brushed a lock of hair away from her face. "I know. But you have to promise me you'll be extra careful out there".

"I promise. I'll see you tonight". She kissed him and grabbed her things and headed for the door.

"Quick question for you".

"Yeah".

"How do you manage to come here if you're undercover"?

"There's a secret passage in the basement with a tunnel that leads to the house on the street parallel to where we stay. No one would even suspect it. Don't worry. I'm being very careful".

"Does Kenny know you're here"?

"No and neither does the FBI".

When she arrived at the bar, none other than Marcello's hidden headquarters, with Kenny at around 9:00 Marcello came to her.

"I wanted to thank you Frankie for another amazing job well done. Matteo brought me your trophy. I was kind of hoping you would have delivered it yourself".

She knew that Marcello had the hots for her, hence why she rarely allowed herself to be alone in his presence.

"You know I would have if I could have, but let's say things got a bit messy and I was in a desperate need of a shower and a change of clothes. The most important thing is that it's done and I trust Matteo to finish off what I can't".

"Naturally".

He looked her over once again. She was wearing a black pencil skirt and a red blouse that fitted her well. He knew that not many men would be able to resist such a woman. "How are things with Matteo"? he asked.

"Fine. Why do you ask"?

"I'm trying to assess my competition". Since he had his back to her, she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"I may have some more work for you real soon. An FBI agent is giving my son Riccardo a very difficult time and I can't let that happen. I will let you know in due time".

"Of course, you know that if I can be of any service to you, I will be".

"That'll be all for now".

Caitlin nodded and slowly walked out of his office. Kenny was waiting in the hallway. He was leaning against the wall, one leg bent and his foot resting against it.

She met him and pressed herself against him just in case Marcello came out or one of the others wandered upstairs. As she pressed against him, she suddenly felt awkward about it. She hadn't thought of it but she suddenly felt as though she was being disloyal to Alvin. She hadn't expected her feelings to get in the way of an operation of that grandeur.

"Everything alright"? asked Kenny as he whispered in her ear.

"Yeah, why"?

"I don't know, you seem a little tense, ease up".

"Sorry. I'm not into it today. And on top of that, Marcello keeps making allusions that make me sick to my stomach".

"You can't blame him for trying, he is a man after all".

"We need to get me wired.. He needs me for another job".

Riccardo, Marcello's son walked upstairs. "Geez, you guys can't get your hands off of each other can you"?

Kenny smiled. "You wouldn't be able to either if she was your woman".

"Good point. I need some privacy with my father, take whatever you're doing somewhere else".

Kenny grabbed Caitlin and they headed to the supply room in the basement. They remained close with their hands on each other in order to spring into action hence someone should come in.

"Isn't a wire a bit premature"? he asked.

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you serious here? If we want to bring him down, we need this evidence. My killing cops and agents fictively is not enough evidence. We need to catch him as he gives the order to do it".

"It's only been two weeks, we shouldn't rush into this".

"We're not rushing into it. What? Why wait another month or two when we can finish it sooner rather than later. I want out, don't you"?

"Of course I do, but not at any cost".

Vitto walked in and Kenny started to kiss Caitlin.

"Oops, my bad. Sorry"! Vitto said as he backtracked out of the supply room and closed the door.

Caitlin pulled away as Kenny looked at her. Her being distant with him upstairs, the kiss not being the same as before, her wanting to get out…. It dawned on him.

"You've met someone".

"What"?

"That's why you're different today and it's messing with you".

"I'm fine".

"Hey, you said it yourself, your head's not in the game".

"I said I'm fine".

"I need you to be in the game".

"I am".

"Where do you go? I mean you've left the house every night this week and you only show back up in the morning".

"I go clear my head. Why does it matter where I go"?

"It matters to me. I'm your partner".

"Exactly partner, not keeper".

"Hey Matteo, we've got an errand to run for Riccardo", yelled Vitto from upstairs.

"I'll be right there".

"We're not done talking about this", he said as he headed upstairs.

"Yes we are", she called back.

"The ME says that it was strangulation due to the petechia in the eyes and on the face", said Adam.

"Good we're getting somewhere", said Hank. "What about forensics, Al"?

Al was so caught up in reliving his night with Caitlin that he hadn't heard Hank. How soft her skin felt on his, how her strawberry scented hair fell around his face as she rode him…

"Al"?

He jumped out of his trance. "Sorry, you were saying"?

"Forensics"?

"Right", he grabbed the file. "There were some fibers found in the victim's mouth, the ME has passed those on for analysis and they also retrieved a used condom in the bathroom garbage can that is also being processed for DNA matching".

"Alright, let's keep putting pressure on the lab, I want to get the bastard who is doing this to innocent young women"!

Adam walked over to Al's desk. "Everything alright"?

Alvin passed his hand over his mustache. "Yeah, why"?

Adam shrugged. "I don't know, seemed like you were elsewhere right then".

"I'm good".

Adam knew Alvin quite well. They had partnered up for quite some time. "Something's different. I can't put my finger on it, but I know there's something there".

"Kid, you're seeing things that aren't there".

"No I'm not. Your thoughts are elsewhere, you seem, I don't know more relaxed and laid back than usual, but slightly on the defensive. Somethings up".

Alvin laughed. Adam was right, he felt more relaxed, like a big weight had been lifted off his shoulders, like he was discovering life and all its beauty again. "If it will keep you warm at night, then go with it, be my guest".


	7. 911

That night, Kenny did something he had never done before. After Caitlin had left the house, he did the same and headed for a tollbooth.

"Code 75131589, requesting immediate call back at this number from Frank Paterson".

He hung up the phone and waited. A few minutes later, it rang and he picked it up immediately.

"Special Agent Rixton, what can I do for you"?

"Sir, I think that Special Agent Voight is potentially on the verge of blowing our cover due to emotional instability".

"We'll have Agent Carson determine the validity of your concern. Until further notice, you are to continue this operation as if nothing has changed".

"Copy that. Over and out".

Kenny left the phonebooth and headed back to the house. Once he was there, he took out his phone and texted Caitlin. "Where are you"?

Caitlin caressed Alvin's bare chest as her head laid on it.

"You've been very quiet tonight", said Alvin as his hand trailed down her back. "Something is worrying you, I can tell".

Caitlin prompted her head on her hand and looked at him. "Marcello wants me to kill an FBI Agent. This is our chance to catch him and put him behind bars".

"That's a good thing isn't it"?

"That's what I thought, but Kenny seems to think it's a bit premature. He doesn't want me to request a wire, he feels we need more time".

"And you don't agree".

She removed herself from his chest and lied down on her back next to him. He in turn prompted himself up and looked at her.

"Do you really see us doing this for much longer"?

"What? You mean have sex every night"? he said mockingly.

"No".

"What you don't want to have sex every night"?

"No, I meant I don't want to have to sneak out every night and come here then leave in the morning. Most of all, I don't want to hide".

"I don't want to hide either but I don't want it to interfere with your operation. If we need to keep doing this awhile longer, then I'm OK with that". He paused and looked at her. "I'm not going anywhere Cat".

"I know".

"Speaking of hiding, you do know that when we stop, all hell is going to break loose right"?

She said nothing but didn't think anything less of it. She knew what he meant. She knew he was talking about Hank and the others. How they would not necessarily understand what they felt for each other or had. Whether it was their age difference, the fact that they had known each other her entire life, that Hank had, until recently, seen in him a brother, that he had worked with Antonio. The list could obviously go on and on. She had asked herself those same questions but when she answered them in her mind, she never doubted their being together. Maybe he did.

"You think we've made a mistake".

"I didn't say that. I'm just saying that not everyone will see it our way".

"So we're going to let the others dictate our lives? Since when, do you care about what others think"?

"It's not that simple, Cat. What we do has implications on all the people we care about".

She sat up, slipped out of bed and grabbed her clothes.

"Caitlin"?

She put on her jeans, socks, shoes, bra and shirt as he watched helplessly.

"Can we talk about this, please"? he begged her as he sat up in bed, still hoping that she would change her mind.

"We just did. I am not ashamed or embarrassed of us. I never second doubted my choice or my feelings for you, and especially, I didn't weigh in the entire Intelligence Unit when I made those choices. I guess I was the only one".

She walked out of the room and out of the apartment as Alvin felt like his world had just fallen apart. He had just messed everything up.

When Caitlin stepped out in the warm night at 2 o'clock in the morning, she was just as much of a wreck as he was. She had let her guard down, she had let him in and for what? She walked slowly towards the corner of the street, hoping to hail a cab.

A black sedan pulled up and stopped at her level. The window rolled down.

"I think we need to talk Francesca". It was Marcello. He turned the light on inside the car and she saw Vitto in the backseat, with a gun aimed at Kenny. She nodded and joined Vitto and Kenny in the back of the car. With the light turned off and the car moving, Marcello's attention returned to the road as his chauffeur drove away. She quickly weighed her options. If she tried to go for Vitto, the gun might fire and wound Kenny, who was restrained. There was no way, she could send out a message to headquarters. There was only one thing left for her to do. She discreetly took out her mobile phone and texted "911".

Alvin was in the kitchen drowning his misery in his second glass of whiskey when the message came in on his phone. It wasn't until his fourth glass that he headed back to the bedroom and looked at his phone. It was dead. The battery had died. In a half state of insobriety he gave up looking for his charger and fell asleep, not knowing that the one he cared the most for, needed him the most and was maybe putting her own fate in his hands!


	8. Author's note - Wrong chapter 1 uploaded

Dear readers,

I'm terribly sorry. I've just realized that I uploaded an old chapter of « To the grave » as the first chapter of this story. Obviously, the story didn't make any sense.

I have now corrected this mistake and hope that you can start over with a clearer vision.

Cheers!


	9. I kill people for a living!

Alvin arrived at the station grumpy, hung over and late.

"Morning Al", said Adam as he walked into the open space.

Al simply nodded and headed for his desk with Adam trailing behind him. He watched as Alvin sat down behind his desk.

"I take back what I said yesterday. Not only do you look like crap but the old Alvin is back".

"Yeah, whatever, kid".

Alvin opened his drawer and looked for his phone charger, but couldn't find it. He swore under his breath as he closed the drawer and stood.

"Has anyone got a charger"?

Kim stood. "Here, you can borrow mine".

She met him halfway and handed it to him. "Are you OK"?

"I've had better days", he said before turning around and heading back to his desk to plug the charger into the wall socket and then his phone. It was an old phone and he knew it was useless trying to turn it on until the battery had a 10% charge.

Kenny took in another blow from Ricardo as Caitlin looked on helplessly. She had been sat down on a chair, with plastic restraints around her wrists and legs and gagged. Vitto and Tony were holding Kenny up as he took the beating. They were in a back room in the back of the bar.

"Who do you work for? The FBI? The DEA? The CPD"? asked Ricardo.

Kenny smiled. "For your mother"! he responded.

Ricardo punched him again in the stomach as Caitlin turned her head away as Kenny keeled over.

Ricardo walked over to her and forced her head straight and removed the gag from her mouth. "Oh no you don't. You're going to watch this".

He leaned in and whispered behind her ear. "Maybe you're also a cop or an agent"?

He yanked her head back. "I kill people for a living", she said through gritted teeth.

He let her hair go. "Good. You're going to come in handy".

Alvin walked in to Hank's office.

"You wanted to see me"?

"Yeah. Did you know about Caitlin"? Hank asked.

"No. I didn't know". He wasn't entirely lying to Hank. Yes, he had known that she was back in Chicago but not that she was working for the FBI.

"Huh", said Hank.

"What's that supposed to mean"?

"I don't know. You too were close before she skipped town. If there was one person I thought she would have told, it was you".

"Yeah, well I guess things change", said Al as he dug his hands in his pocket.

"Guess so".

Alvin headed back out of the office and returned to his desk. He looked at his phone and as it was at 15% charge, he turned it on. He placed it on his desk and started typing on his keyboard when a single chime emerged from his phone. He picked it up and opened the message.

It was from Cat and it said '911'. He then looked at the time she had sent it: 02:10. Right after she had left his apartment! He sprung to his feet and called Hank.

"We've got a problem. Caitlin's in trouble"!

Hank took the phone out of his hands and looked at it. "You only notice this now"! He yelled at Alvin.

"My phone was dead. You think I'm happy about this".

"Ruzek, ping the phone number that sent this and find me its location, now"!

"It's got to be Lombardi. I can't think of anyone else"!

"Her phone must be switched off. I can't locate it"!

Alvin looked at Jay. "Do you remember where you went when you stumbled in on their operation"?

"Yeah, of course".

Hank looked at them. "Ok, everybody gear up. Let's hope we're not too late". He gave Alvin a nasty look. "This one's on you"!

The sped through the city, luckily the bar wasn't far from the district. Alvin bit his nails as he waited impatiently to get to their destination. Hank was right, this one was on him and he felt responsible. Had he truly said to Caitlin how he felt about the two of them being together, that he didn't care what the others would say, none of this might have happened.

Ricardo pulled Caitlin to her feet as he could considering that her legs were bound, just as Marcello entered the room. "Let's end this". He said as he nodded in Vitto's direction.

Vitto and Tony lowered Kenny so that he was kneeling on the ground. His face was bleeding and covered in bruises.

Ricardo took his gun and put it in front of Caitlin's restrained hands. "Take the gun"!

"No"! she said as her entire body shook realizing what they were expecting her to do.

He violently slapped her across the face and she tasted the blood in her mouth and felt it flow from the side of her mouth as she groaned in pain.

"I said take the gun"!

She took the gun in her right hand as well as she could considering the little movement she had with the plastic restraints. She, who was a solid and calm shooter, found her hands shaking.

Marcello placed himself by her side. "Now, kill him".

Her eyes filled with tears. "No. Marcello, please, just let him go, I'll do anything you want me to".

"Good, because what I want you to do is place a bullet in his forehead and kill him"!

Ricardo yelled at her. "Do it"!

The team entered the bar by force and walked in cautiously as they cleared the first parts of the building. Hank motioned with his free hand to head towards the back as they heard Caitlin's voice.

"No! I can't"!

They heard another violent sound, the one of a hand meeting skin. Jay and Alvin were the first to erupt into the room. "CPD, put your weapons down"!

What happened next, happened very fast. Vitto and Tony dropped their guns and fled. Caitlin gave a sigh of relief as she dropped Ricardo's gun that was in her hand, as if it was burning her.

The rest of the team came in at that moment. Alvin looked at Caitlin and eased up seeing that she was still alive. In one quick movement, Ricardo grabbed Caitlin from behind and grabbed her neck with his big firm hand as he held on to her with the other. Caitlin squirmed under his hold but there was nothing she could do without the freedom of her arms and legs.

His hold on her neck tightened and she felt her airway tighten.

Jay looked at Alvin. "He's strangling her"!

Alvin made an attempt to walk towards them, but Marcello pulled out a gun from his coat pocket and placed it against Caitlin's temple.

"Not another step, or she's dead"!

Alvin took a step back, put his gun away in the holster and lifted his hands. Hank watched, he knew they were using Caitlin as an incentive and he didn't like it!

"Now, it's your turn to put your weapons down"! said calmly Marcello.

They all bent down and slowly dropped their guns including Alvin, never removing his eyes from Caitlin. Her hands were trying to free themselves from the restraints and Ricardo's hold, but it was useless. She was starting to lack air.

"This doesn't need to go down this way", said Hank just as calmly as Marcello. No one needs to leave here in a body bag. I'm sure we can work something out".

"I don't make deals with cops", said Marcello.

"It's us you want, not her. Just let her go".

Marcello taunted Hank. "You see my son he's got a discipline problem on top of being very thorough. He won't stop until he's done"!

Adam looked at Alvin as Hank continually tried to convince both Ricardo and Marcello to let Caitlin go. "He's going to kill her if we don't do something and fast"!

She was starting to make really terrible sounds as Ricardo constricted her throat, tighter and tighter. Her eyes that were till then wide open with fear, a natural reaction, were slowly starting to close and Alvin could see that her chest was moving less and less from the lack of air.

He very discreetly placed himself in front of Jay and lifted up the back of his shirt revealing a Glock. "You're going to have to be precise and fast", he whispered.

He felt Jay take the gun. Jay quietly armed the gun and removed the security lock on it.

"Go"! said Jay. Alvin knelt down instantly and Jay fired. The bullet hit Marcello in the carotid and he instinctively dropped the gun pointed at Caitlin's head as he grabbed his neck, where blood was gushing out of.

Jay moved in and aimed the gun at Ricardo. "Let her go"!

Ricardo loosened his hold on Caitlin and eventually let go. She fell to her knees and keeled over as she placed her hands around her neck, coughing and panting.

Had Hank not been within a stride from Caitlin, Alvin would have been by her side first. Hank knelt by her side and cut the restraints off. "Caitlin, are you OK"?

She tried to talk but her throat hurt her too much and she was still gasping for air. She nodded. "OK. Don't try and talk". He turned to Alvin. "Get two ambulances dispatched over here ASAP"!

Alvin nodded and still not taking his eyes off of Caitlin, called into central to dispatch the ambulances.

Within minutes, they arrived and took care of them. They helped Caitlin walk over to the ambulance as the other team wheeled Kenny on the gurney towards the other ambulance.

The team met outside just as Director Paterson arrived on the scene.

"Paterson", he said as he showed his plaque.

"Voight", said Hank, his hands holding the top of his bullet-proof vest.

The two men talked as Alvin's eyes strayed to Caitlin's ambulance. She was sitting on the steps leading up to the ambulance as they checked her out and gave her some oxygen. He walked over. The paramedic returned inside the ambulance to fill in some paperwork allowing Alvin to be alone with her.

She removed the oxygen mask and looked at him.

"I thought I'd lost you", he said. "I'm sorry".

Her hands were shaking and she tried to talk but her voice was rasp and almost non-existing. He put a finger on her lips. "Shh".

She stared at him with her beautiful brown almond-shaped eyes that were filling up with tears.

"Come here".

She stood up and he took her into his arms and held on to her tightly, so relieved to feel her heart beat against his chest. "I've got you".

Jay who was with Kenny, turned around and watched the scene unfold. He took a mental note of the kind of tenderness Alvin was holding her and how she held on to him. Adam walked up to him . "That was a damn close call, if you ask me".

"Yeah", said Jay, "they both were lucky. Had we gotten here any later, they would have both been dead".

"I don't want to think about that. Hey you want to ride with Kenny and I'll ride over with Caitlin"?

"Yeah, I'll go with Kenny, but I think someone's beat you when it comes to Caitlin", Jay said as he looked in the direction of Caitlin's ambulance. Adam followed his stare.

"Alvin's been in a foul mood all morning, not sure I want to piss him off by taking his place. We'll meet you back at Med".

The paramedic came back from inside the ambulance and frowned. "Caitlin, you need to keep that oxygen mask on".

Alvin and Caitlin separated and he helped her put the oxygen mask back on.

"I'll hook you up to the monitors and then we'll be on our way". He looked at Alvin. "Are you riding to Med with us"?

Alvin stared him down. "Did you really just ask me that question"?

"No, of course not. I'm sorry". The paramedic helped Caitlin settle down on the gurney and hooked her up to the monitors.

As the ambulance drove away, Alvin took Caitlin's hand in his and kissed it. "I'm never letting you go, ever again! You got that"!

Caitlin nodded and closed her eyes. She was exhausted. But as he held on to her hand, she knew that she was safe and so, she let herself slip into semi-conscious state.


	10. You can't handle the truth!

When Caitlin came to, she was being rolled into the ED at Med. She started to panic. There was something about this hospital that she didn't like and it most probably had something to do with Antonio. She started hyperventilating and tried to sit up on the gurney. She couldn't see Alvin and she panicked.

The paramedic stopped the gurney. "Caitlin, you need to calm down".

Connor came rushing in their direction as he put his stethoscope around his neck. "What do you have"? as he took the chart from the other paramedic.

"Strangulation".

Connor looked over the file then towards the gurney. "Caitlin"? he said out loud to no one in particular. "Get her in trauma 2", he said as Kenny was brought in.

"He took a very bad beating, sats and BP are low and heart rate high".

Connor looked at the clipboard. There could have been fluid build-up around the heart. He wanted to take care of Caitlin, but knew that he would be more helpful to Kenny. Will came up to him and took Caitlin's clipboard.

"I've got her. Go"!

Connor nodded. "Ok, let's get him in trauma 2"!

Will entered and caught a glimpse of a very agitated Caitlin. She was battling to remove her oxygen mask. He quickly assessed her from afar. There were indeed strangulation marks around her neck and her eyes were slowly showing signs of petechia, they were slightly blood-shot.

"Cat, it's Will", he said as he walked up to her. "I know you're scared but I can't help you if you don't calm down. Can you do that for me, please? I don't want to have to sedate you or restrain you".

She tried to calm down but found it hard. She looked at Will panicked.

"That's it Cat. Just try to relax".

He checked the monitors, her oxygen saturation was still low regardless of the oxygen. He took out his stethoscope and first checked her torso before checking the back. "Can you try and take a deep breath for me"?

When she did, pain ravaged her. When he stopped listening, he heard a low croak and she was squinting her eyes from the pain.

"Ok's let get her hooked up to a saline drip and push in 0.5mg of Dilaudid for the pain. I want a neck and chest X-Ray and CT-scan of the neck as well".

He put his hand on Caitlin's leg. She was shaking. "Are you cold"? She nodded. "Ok, let's get another blanket here".

He watched as she tried to remove the mask. "Cat, you need to keep that on, your oxygen level is too low", he said as he placed it back over her nose and mouth. She tried to talk but no sound came out and if it did, it was not recognizable.

Outside, Alvin had been caught up by Hank when he had gotten out of the ambulance. Hank pointed a finger at him. "You're damn lucky they're still alive"!

"Excuse-me"? said Al infuriated.

"You received that message at 2 o'clock in the morning. We could have acted sooner"!

"Oh don't you go blaming this on me! Like I was supposed to know that they were in trouble and that she would text me for help".

"But she did! And she contacted no one else", yelled Hank.

"So this is what all this is about! You're not so pissed off about the fact that I got the text as late as I did. You're pissed off, because she sent it to me and not you"!

"Oh that's low"! said Hank as he pushed Alvin.

"No, it's the truth. And you can't handle the truth, because it means that she thinks that she can't count on you anymore and that has you going insane"!

Jay, Kim and Adam looked at them. "Should we get involved"? asked Kim.

"Nah, not until it gets really physical", said Jay.

"My bets are on Alvin", said Adam.

At that moment, Alvin punched Hank in the face. "See, what did I tell you", said Adam.

"Now, we're stepping in", said Jay as he looked at Kim. "You take Alvin and I'll take Hank", he said as he and Adam walked over.

They broke them apart. "Alright, enough already"! yelled Jay.

"Come on guys, Kenny and Caitlin are in there, you really want to stay out here and fight"? asked Adam as he pushed Alvin back.

Alvin set himself straight and walked towards the ED entrance with Adam beside him.

Connor worked around Kenny quickly but thoroughly.

"Get me the portable ultrasound, now"! He ordered April.

The minute she returned with it he grabbed it and looked at Kenny's heart.

"How's Caitlin"? asked Kenny.

"Don't worry about her, she's in good hands".

"I've got fluid in the pericardium, let's get him up to surgery"!

"You've got to tell Caitlin, I'm sorry. It's all my fault", Kenny said as he grabbed Connor's hand.

"You'll tell her yourself". He looked at his assisting surgeon. "Get him prepped, I'm right behind you"!

He walked out of the trauma room and looked over in Caitlin's, but it was empty. He joined Will at the doctor's station. "How is she"?

Will saw the rest of the team walk in. "We might as well update them and each other at the same time, what do you say"?

Connor nodded. "I'll start, I need to get to the OR".

The team stopped in front of them.

"How are they"? asked Alvin.

"Kenny is on his way to surgery. I need to evacuate liquid that has formed around his heart and is compressing it, limiting the blood flow. I'll know more when I'm done".

Hank nodded and Connor left for the OR.

Alvin swallowed. "And Caitlin"?

"She's in a lot of pain. Breathing and swallowing are also quite painful. At this moment in time she is aphonic".

"Aphonic"? asked Kim.

"It means she has temporarily lost the usage of her voice. It's very common and due to the compression of the larynx on the vocal cords".

"Can we see her"? asked Alvin.

"I sent her up for a scan and some X-Rays. I want to rule out such things as pulmonary and tracheal edemas and a fractured larynx or hyoid bone".

"So, it's serious", said Hank.

"Until I've been able to rule those out, I consider her state being very serious".

Alvin looked down at the floor.

"Did she lose consciousness during the strangulation"?

"She was starting to, but I didn't get that far", said Hank.

"Just as it was the case for Connor, I'll be able to give you a more precise update when I get the test results".

Paterson arrived and introduced himself to Will. "Doctor, we're going to need to take photographs once she comes back. Our forensics team will be waiting on your green light".

"Of course. I'll let you know".

Paterson turned his attention to Hank. "Is there a place where we can talk in private"?

Hank nodded and they walked outside.


	11. Will you take the road with me?

Alvin walked over to the waiting room and sat in a chair slumped over as he cradled his head in his hands. As Jay and Adam were in a deep conversation with Will, she headed over to the coffee vending machine and took two coffees. She walked over and sat down next to Alvin.

She put one of the cups in Alvin's field of vision and he lifted his head up.

"Thought you could use this".

"Thanks", he said as he took the cup in his hand. "I hate this place! The last two times I was here someone died".

Kim knew he was talking about Lexie and Antonio. "She'll be okay. It might take some time but she will be", she said as she patted his back amicably.

"I hope you're right". He leaned back in the chair and sprawled his legs out as he looked up at the ceiling.

"You care a lot about her, don't you"? she dared to ask.

He looked at her. "Of course, we all do".

She looked at him with soft eyes. "But for you it's different, isn't it"?

He sat up and eyed her. "What is that even supposed to mean"?

"Look, I know I'm not always on the front of the scene and I stay a bit in retreat but I see a lot of things. I saw the look in your eyes when she came into the district the other day, the look in your eyes when he tried to take her life and the one you had when you held her in your arms in the ambulance. I've seen that look before. I know what it is".

"Oh yeah. What is it then Kim"?

"Love", she said softly and tenderly.

"There are a lot of different kinds of love". He realized that he was trying to hide it and remembered that it was just the exact same thing that had been partially responsible for her being here.

"Al… Does she know? Does she know how you truly feel about her"?

He looked at her with teary eyes. "Yes, she knows".

Kim smiled. "And it's mutual. That's why you were so happy yesterday. She makes you happy, she completes you in a way you could never imagine possible. So what's stopping you"?

He shot a quick glance towards, Hank then Jay and Adam who were sitting on the other side of the waiting room. "I feel responsible for what happened to her today".

"Why"?

"Because we had a disagreement last night about my wanting to keep things quiet. She left my apartment and then minutes later she sent me that text and I was so broken and hurt by her leaving that I drank a half a bottle of whiskey and literally passed out in bed. She needed me and I wasn't there for her".

"You are not responsible for what happened. If it wasn't then, it was only a matter of hours before they got to her and I was there Alvin, nothing you did or didn't do made it so that guy strangled her".

"I just want to make things right".

"And you can. Be there for her now. Step up and be a man, the man she sees in you, the man she has allowed in her heart and loves".

He nodded and took a sip of coffee. Will came into the waiting room and they all stood and gathered around him. He smiled. "I've got good news. Everything is fine".

They all relieved the tension they felt.

"That being said", continued Will, "I've admitted her into observation for the next couple of days, just to make sure".

Kim put her arm around Alvin and squeezed him.

"She's still unable to talk but as the swelling subsides it'll come back. And she asked for you, through written form".

Hank took a step forward. Will looked at Alvin who was standing next to Hank. "Actually, she asked for Alvin".

Hank took a step back and looked at Alvin. Alvin said nothing as he followed Will up to the second floor.

When they reached the room, Will smiled at Alvin. "Try to keep her from trying to talk", then he walked away.

She tried to smile when she saw him walk into the room. He walked towards her bed and leaned over to kiss her. He could have kissed her endlessly because he realized that he had almost lost that. He pulled back and caressed her face. She opened her mouth.

"You're not supposed to try to talk".

She closed her mouth and pouted before pointing to a notepad and pen on the side table. He handed them over to her and waited as she wrote. She turned the notepad in his direction.

"Are you mad"?

"No, I'm not mad".

She wrote again. "But I walked out".

"I know. And you had every right to".

"I'm sorry", she showed him the notepad.

"You've got nothing to be sorry about. I'm the one who's sorry".

She scribbled something and before she could finish he took the notepad and pen out of her hand. She mouthed an angry "hey".

"Right now you can't talk and I'm going to use that to my advantage. So you are going to listen".

She eased up and folded her hands on her lap.

"You were right last night and I agree with everything you said, but I got scared. You worried about me and Hank that first night you came, remember"? She nodded. "Well, I was worried about you. You have lost a lot of people you cared about and just as you wanted me to patch things up with Hank, I wanted the same thing for you. I know Hank, he's not going to like this and it will drive a trench between us, the three of us. I wanted to preserve you from that".

She leaned to take the notepad.

"I'm not finished".

She placed her hands back down.

"So, I'm done".

She opened her eyes wide in fear.

"I'm done letting what others are going to think, dictate my life. I'm in love with you and as far as I know, it's not a crime but rather a privilege. I am a lucky man and I can say that because I've known you your entire life, I know your good sides and bad sides, I know your outer and inner beauty, your passion and compassion. So I'm older by a couple of years…."

She raised her eyebrow.

"Ok fine, by give or take 15 years, but I don't care, none of that matters because what matters is us, it's you and me and how we feel about each other. So they can accept it or they don't, I don't need them in my life, if they can't see how beautiful you are making it"!

She tried to grab the notepad hesitantly.

"Yeah, I'm finished now", he said unsure as to what she was going to write.

She wrote for a while and then handed him the notepad instead of showing him.

A smile grew on his face as he read her words: "I couldn't have said it any better. What you said is beautiful and you know what? I'm in love with you. Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. Will you take the road with me"?

He leaned in. "Nothing would make me happier"! He kissed her again.


	12. Have you freaking lost your mind?

When Alvin had returned downstairs after spending time with her, Hank didn't speak to him but he could tell that he wasn't too thrilled. Even if it hurt him, Alvin knew that Hank was only reaping what he had sowed. He had always been the one that Caitlin had turned to and he had lost that privilege.

Kenny was out of surgery and based on what Connor had said, it had been a success. He too had been admitted for the next couple of days up on the third floor.

As Kim, Adam and Jay went to visit Caitlin, Hank and Alvin went to see Kenny. Paterson was already there.

"You do understand that there will be a disciplinary hearing once you're back on your feet".

Kenny nodded. "I fully understand that and will take full responsibility for my actions".

Seeing Hank and Alvin in the hallway, Paterson stepped out of the room and looked at Hank. "We'll be in touch".

Hank shook his hand and followed Alvin inside the hospital room.

"How are you feeling"? asked Hank.

"Could be worse. How is Caitlin"?

Hank looked at Alvin.

"She'll be alright", said Alvin.

"I'm really sorry. I put her life at risk, it wasn't my intention".

"Right now, you focus on getting better", said Hank.

Alvin looked at him. Apparently, Hank knew something that he did not. He realized he wasn't the only one with secrets.

When Hank stopped by to see Caitlin, she was asleep. He watched her for a few minutes and then left. He told himself that he was going to work very hard to make everything right between them. He had let her down and he was going to win back her trust. He left the hospital and headed back home. Being nostalgic, he went into the attic and brought down some old photo albums. With a glass of whiskey in hand, he turned the pages slowly as he sat at the table. Justin was gone, Camille too and Erin was halfway across the country. Caitlin was the only family he had left. He couldn't lose her too.

He decided to stop at the hospital the following morning to see how, both, Kenny and Caitlin were doing. He looked through the glass door and blinked a couple of times. Caitlin was asleep with her head resting on Alvin's chest and he had his arm around her. He too was fast asleep.

"He's been here all night", he heard Will say from behind him.

Hank turned around and said nothing.

"She had a bit of a rough night, but she's improved".

"When can I take her home"? asked Hank.

"It depends on the next 24 hours. If all goes well, I could release her tomorrow afternoon, if I know someone's keeping an eye on her until the end of the week".

"That won't be a problem. I'll take a couple of days off".

When he arrived at work, what he had seen still left him perplexed. He felt as though he was missing something but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"How are we moving along with our strangulation victims"?

"Well, you're not going to believe this, we got back the DNA results and ran them through various databases and we got a hit on the Federal one, and it's Ricardo Lombardi", stated Jay.

Hank smiled. "Good thing we have in custody". He turned to Adam. "Bring him up for questioning".

After having received Lombardi's full confession, Hank and Adam returned to the open space where Kim and Kevin were huddled around Jay's desk.

"I can't believe it! There must be a logic explanation to this", said Jay.

"Maybe it's due to the angle at which the picture was taken", said Adam. "How many times have we seen how our first impression of things is wrong".

"What's going on here"? asked Hank.

They all looked up and Jay put something away in his drawer.

"Nothing".

Hank walked over. "What was that"?

"Just today's newspaper", said Jay acting like it was nothing important.

"What about it"?

"Nothing".

"Well it must not be nothing, you all seemed rather interested in what it had to say".

Hank put a hand on Jay's drawer and opened it. His blood turned cold as the rest of his body boiled when he saw the headline of the folded newspaper: **Failed FBI undercover operation sends a former CPD detective, to the hospital!** He read the article that had a lot of details about the operation and about Caitlin. He didn't turn it over but simply flipped the paper upside down on Jay's desk.

"Find me who wrote that article. This is a violation of privacy! This article was written without the consent of the FBI, the CPD or the victims themselves"!

He turned and headed towards his office, when his eye caught what he hadn't initially seen on the other side of the front page. He backtracked and picked it back up and looked at it, as the rest of the team watched closely for his reaction.

Alvin walked up the stairs and arrived in the open space. He felt everyone's stare on him as he walked in Hank's direction.

When Alvin was within his reach, Hank put the paper back down on Jay's desk and punched Alvin in the face. Alvin didn't wince or blink. He had been used to being punched in the past. He simply looked at an enraged Hank in front of him.

"What the hell"? he said.

Hank picked up the paper again and showed it to Alvin. Alvin grabbed it and looked at it. There was a picture of Caitlin in her hospital bed and they were kissing!

Alvin kept the paper in his hand and headed for his desk. He removed his coat.

"Tell me, it's not what I think it is", said Hank.

Alvin looked him straight in the eyes. "I can't do that".

"This is a joke right"?

"No Hank, it's not a joke".

Hank closed his eyes and shook his head. "This can't be happening".

"I'm sorry. This was not the way we wanted you to find out".

"Have you freaking lost your mind!? This is Caitlin we're talking about! You've known her ever since she was born. You held her in your arms when she was born, you gave her piggy back rides and had tea parties with her in the backyard! And now you're telling me that you and her are…". He couldn't even bare to finish his sentence.

Kim looked at Alvin. Although she was happy for him, she didn't want to be him right there and then.

"I understand that this is hard for you, but that's the way it is and I will not justify myself to you. Caitlin is a grown woman and has a right to live her life as she sees fit and she doesn't need your consent"!

With that Alvin grabbed his coat and pushed past Hank and left the building. Leaving not only Hank but Adam and Jay speechless and in a state of disbelief. Hank went into his office and slammed the door.

Adam looked at Kim. "You don't seem the slightest bit surprised or disturbed by this".

"I'm not".

"We're talking about Alvin and Caitlin here. Am I the only one who sees something wrong in the situation"? he asked looking at Jay and Kim.

"It's wasn't a problem for you when it was Caitlin and Antonio", replied Kim.

"Yeah but for one he's way older than her and secondly, Antonio died like only yesterday".

Kim stared him down. "And you called off your wedding to be with me"!

"That's different".

"You're right, you cheated on your fiancée and betrayed her, it was worse".

Adam looked at Jay. "You're not saying anything about this. You're OK with it"?

Jay said nothing. He wasn't really. He remembered how Alvin had put him back in his place when he'd realized that Jay had feelings and was attracted to Caitlin. Even if the conditions had been different, he couldn't help but think that Al had taken Caitlin right under his nose.

"That's because neither one of us have the right to say anything", Kim answered. "It's their life, if they're happy, what more could we want for them"?

Hank only came out of the office at the end of the day. He drove over to Alvin's old house. He rang the doorbell and Meredith came to answer it.

"Meredith".

"Hello Hank. You want to come in"?

He nodded and stepped inside the house. He followed her into the kitchen.

"You want a beer"?

"I'll need something stronger than that, if that's alright with you"?

She pointed to the bar. "Pick your poison".

He returned with a shot glass and the bottle of tequila.

He noticed as he sat down a copy of the newspaper on the counter top.

"So you know", he said to her as he filled up his glass.

"Yes".

"Meredith, you've got to talk some sense into Al. He's not thinking straight".

"You know, he was here earlier".

Hank raised an eyebrow.

"He came to tell me in person what was going on. I hadn't seen the paper yet".

Hank finished his glass in one gulp and served himself a new one. "Guilt".

Meredith shook her head. "No, Hank there was no guilt in his voice or in what he said. Don't get me wrong, I was shocked when he told me. But as I listened to him and the shock dissipated, I realized that it wasn't something he did on a whim. And I know Al, I know him very well and I can tell you he wouldn't be doing this if he wasn't sure that his feelings for Cat weren't deep and true".

"Basically, what you're telling me is that you're Ok with this".

"Hank, how many woman have you known Alvin to be with? He's not the kind of man that goes and sleeps around. He's loyal. Ok so yes he strayed years ago when he was undercover, but that was the only time. He commits and he's a good man. You know that. You know him better than anyone else".

Hank filled up his glass again. "I thought I did. But the Al I know would never have pulled a stunt like that".

She put her hand on his. "You do know him. He hasn't changed. You know his values, his heart and if you take out of the equation that it's Caitlin, you'd realize that. He didn't do this out of spite".

She stood and walked over to the window and remained quiet for a moment.

"He loves her".

Hank sneered. "He loves the idea of being with her, but he doesn't love her".

She turned around. "You're wrong. I saw it in his eyes and I heard it in his voice when he talked about her. And I think that if you we're to look at them with unbiased eyes, you'd see it too".

Hank sighed. "I still see her wearing Keds with a double pony-tail, playing on her Lite-Brite in the family room, while you, Camille, Alvin and I had dinner together. Why doesn't he see her like that"?

Meredith smiled. "Because she's not like that anymore. She's a grown woman and she's been for a while Hank. She's strong, beautiful, smart and caring. That is what he sees. You and Camille raised her well Hank, with great values, knowing what was wrong and what was right. You taught her never to settle, to be independent, to never let anyone dictate who she should be or what she should do. Knowing that, you are going to have to trust that she's making the right decision. Sometimes you fall in love with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time".

"I can't lose her Meredith".

"Then you are going to have to accept this, otherwise you **WILL** lose her".

"I'm not sure I can", he said as he stood up. "Thanks for the drinks".

"Sure", she said.


	13. Far more important

Kenny rolled his wheelchair into Caitlin's room.

"Knock, knock".

She smiled as she saw him. "Hey", she said in a whisper. Her voice was slowly starting to come back but not completely and all she could do was whisper.

"How are you"? he asked.

"I'm OK. How are you doing"?

"Alright I guess. I have a big scar that will make the girls think I'm badass".

He paused for a moment. "You have no idea how sorry I am about everything that happened. I was reckless and careless and it put your life in danger".

"We both knew that it was a dangerous operation Kenny. I don't blame you".

"But I called you out to Paterson".

She remained quiet for a while. She hadn't known that. "You did what you thought you had to do. I should have been honest and open with you".

"There's going to be a disciplinary hearing. They're going to fire me".

"I doubt that. After thorough investigation, they'll realize that you were only following protocol".

He cocked his head to the side and kind of smiled. "I was right, wasn't I"?

"About what"?

"You meeting someone"?

"Yes, you were right".

"And that's where you went every night. To be with him".

She nodded. "At first it wasn't like that, I was going to a place of solace. I don't think I was really ready to fully go back undercover, at least not an operation like that. Then things changed and it wasn't the only reason I went anymore".

"I understand".

They both paused for a moment.

"Do I know him? Is it Jay? You too were close in the past".

"It's not Jay, but you do know him".

At that moment, Alvin arrived at the door of her room. Kenny looked at him then at Caitlin. He suddenly realized he had just gotten the answer to his question.

"You get better alright"? he said as he turned the wheelchair around.

"Yeah, you too. I'll see you around".

Kenny stopped his wheelchair as he reached Alvin. "You take good care of her, OK"?

"That's my plan", said Alvin smiling.

Kenny wheeled himself out and headed back to his room as Alvin joined Cat.

"Hey gorgeous. How are you feeling"?

"Better, my voice is coming back slowly".

"I hear that. It's great news".

He kissed her and when he pulled back, she put her hand on his cheek and eyed him.

"Hank knows", simply said Alvin.

"He punched you"?

"What you thought he would take me in his arms and give me a great big hug"?

Caitlin frowned. "No. But I didn't expect him to physically assault you. I'm sorry".

"You have got nothing to apologize for and neither do I. I told Meredith".

"What"? said Caitlin a bit taken aback by his action. Telling Hank was one thing but when she thought back to all the trouble she had in the beginning with Laura, the last thing she needed was another angry ex-wife on her back. "Why"?

Alvin took something from the inside pocket of his coat. "Because of this". He opened the newspaper and showed her.

At first she seemed shocked, then angry and then she laughed.

"What is it"?

"No wonder the nurses and Will looked at me funny every time they came in here. It makes sense now. So not only do Hank and Meredith know but the entire city of Chicago! Well, I guess we don't need to worry anymore about going public".

He laughed. "No, I guess you're right". He took her hand in his. "Look that is why I went to talk to Meredith. I owed her that much, for her to hear it from me. I'll admit that she was flabbergasted when I first told her but the more I told her how I felt, the more she was OK with it".

"She's a good person".

"Yes she is".

"Maybe you should marry her", joked around Caitlin.

He smiled, he loved how she could be so carefree and joke around in those kinds of situations. "I've got someone else in mind".

She suddenly got serious. "Al…".

"Hey, I wasn't proposing. If I was, it would really suck. I'm just saying that who knows, maybe one day".

She eased up. It wasn't that the thought scared her. She'd hardly ever been of afraid of anything in her life, let alone commitment or marriage, but it just seemed premature. "So, what now"?

"Now, we wait for you to get discharged and I take you home, where I am going to take good care of you, until you've fully recovered".

"What about work"?

"I put in my request for a couple days of leave. I think I need to have things blow over for a couple of days".

"Do you ever think it will really blow over"?

He shrugged. "I don't know. I'm hoping that Hank and I will see eye to eye. In the end we both care about you and love you. That's got to count for something".

"You may have to come to terms with the fact that nothing may ever be the same between you two".

"I'm aware of that and I'm OK with it. Having you in my life is far more important".


	14. So, this is serious?

**Two weeks later**

Alvin's fingers caressed Caitlin's neck.

"Do you really have to go"?

"The FBI doesn't invite you to a disciplinary hearing, they summon you. I won't be gone long. I'll be back tomorrow".

"You and Kenny are here, why couldn't they do it in Chicago"?

"Simply because they take place at headquarters in DC. Kenny's already there".

"He is"?

"Uh huh. He's been there for a couple of days already".

"Maybe I should go with you".

"You can't. You don't have clearance". She looked at him. "Wait a minute, this is not so much the fact that I'm leaving for 2 days, this is about you not wanting to go back to work".

Alvin said nothing. Having spent these past two full weeks with her had been amazing and he dreaded having to go back to work, especially since Hank hadn't been in contact with either one of them.

"You are a good cop and detective Al. Regardless of what personal issues you and Hank have, he knows that he needs you".

When Caitlin arrived at the airport, she checked in and went directly to the gate. She sat down in her seat in business class and looked out the window at the tarmac. It was early, it was 5am and if the flight was on time, she'd arrive in DC just before noon and on time at Headquarters for the hearing at 2PM. She felt the seat shift next to her and took presence of her neighbor.

"Hank"?

"Morning", he said indifferently.

"What are you doing here"?

"Paterson called me to discuss our actions during the operation".

"Of course and it's just a simple coincidence that your seat is right next to mine".

"Yep".

They said nothing more as the plane left the gate, headed for the runway and took off.

Hank waited for a while hoping that she would break the ice but she didn't, she simply looked out the window.

"How are you feeling"? he asked out of the blue, which inevitable surprised her and him.

"Fine. All is back to normal. You"?

"Can't complain".

"Good".

"Yeah. Good".

He took a sip of his coffee.

"You've been staying with Alvin"? he dared

"Yes. He's been taking really good care of me".

"I bet", he snapped.

She closed her eyes and sighed. The last thing she wanted was to have an argument with him at 25,000 feet.

"I'm sorry", he said, realizing he had gone too far with his comment.

She reopened her eyes. "I understand that this is awkward or hard for you but it's not like we planned this. It happened and it happened as naturally as possible. You think I didn't ask myself a million questions"?

"But why Al"?

She shrugged. "Why did you fall in love with Camille? Why did Justin fall in love with Olive? Kim with Adam? Because there's a connection, a bond, a common attraction. Why does anyone fall in love"?

When he said nothing, she continued. "Would you have rather I go out with Jay or Kevin? Maybe some guy from an online dating site"?

Again he said nothing.

"No, you wouldn't. For two simple reasons: the first being that the online guy, you would know nothing about him, his past, his intentions. The second reason, is that you think they wouldn't be good enough for me. In your eyes and due to the love you have for me, no man will ever be good enough and I get that, I do. But if anyone knows Al better than himself it's you. You know his worth".

She was amazed that for once he seemed to listen to her.

"Are you sure that this is what you want"?

She took a deep breath and thought about Alvin and everything he was, everything he represented and meant to her.

"This is what I want. What I also want, is you. I miss you and I know that Alvin does to".

"I miss you too kiddo. I guess I'm just worried about you, that you've made the wrong choice".

"I know I'm not making the wrong choice. All these years, you've never questioned my choices or my judgement because I never make impulsive decisions. Just give him a chance, that's all I'm asking. Let him show you that's he's worthy of me".

"OK. I'll do my best".

"Good, that's all I'm asking for".

The following evening, Alvin was waiting for Caitlin at the airport with a bouquet of flowers. Although the more he looked at them, the more he thought he was being stupid in having bought her some. They hadn't spoken at all while she had been in DC and it had been hard on him, especially since he had been home alone trying to find an excuse not to go back to work the day after her return.

He tensed up as he saw Caitlin walk into the arrivals hall with none other than Hank. He had no idea what he was doing there but since she looked rather relaxed, he eased up and smiled as she saw him and gave him her most amazing smile.

He walked a few steps towards them and stopped when Cat was within reach. She let go of her carry-on trolley.

"Hey stranger", she said as she took a step towards him. As he hesitated, he felt Hank's stare on him. He understood that Hank was testing him. He opened his arms and embraced Caitlin before kissing her gently. When she pulled back, he handed her the bouquet of beautiful white Calla Lilies, her favorite.

"They're beautiful Al. Thank you". She kissed him again.

Things got awkward for a few seconds before Al decided to take the lead.

"It's good to see you Hank".

Hank nodded. "It's good to see you too". He looked at Caitlin. "You'll let me know"?

"I will", she answered.

Hank turned his attention back to Al. "I guess, I'll see you tomorrow. Have a nice evening".

Al nodded. As Hank walked away towards the opposite parking lot than theirs, Al took Caitlin's trolley and put his arm lovingly around her as they headed for the south parking lot.

Hank turned his head around and watched the scene.

"I missed you. How are you feeling? Are you tired"? asked Al as they continued in their stride.

Hank nodded to himself upon hearing Al's words. Maybe Caitlin was right. Alvin was a decent man and he knew that he would always put Caitlin on the top of his priority list. Taking out, who they were, from the equation, as Meredith had said, had they been total strangers, he would have acknowledged the fact that they were a good match.

"I'll go put this in the bedroom", said Al as they walked in the apartment. "There's lasagna in the fridge, waiting for your expert cooking skills", he said as he winked at her.

She smiled. She took of her vest and headed for the kitchen. As she headed there, she grabbed the stereo's remote control and put on some music. She turned on the oven and took out the lasagna from the fridge along with a zucchini. When he came back into the room, she was swaying to the music and slicing the zucchini.

He came up behind her and massaged her shoulders as he kissed the side of her neck. "How about a nice glass of Valpolicella"?

"Now that's a great idea"! She placed the slices on top of the lasagna and returned to the fridge to get the parmesan. She sprayed some of it on top and placed the lasagna in the pre-heated oven.

Alvin returned with the bottle of wine and took two wine glasses out of the kitchen cupboard. He served them and they headed for the sofa.

"Lasagna should be ready in less than an hour", she said as she settled down against him in the sofa.

"So, are you going to tell me about the hearing? And about Hank"?

"Which one do you want me to start with"?

Even though he was more curious about the Hank part of the discussion, he wasn't sure he was ready for it. "The hearing".

"It went OK, I guess. Kenny has been temporarily suspended from field activity and has been put on desk duty".

"Ouch".

"Yeah, but honestly, it could have been worse, they could have fired him. At least he gets to stay at the FBI and should resume full duty in a couple of months".

"And you"?

"I thanked them for the job opportunity they gave me and told them I was no longer interested".

"Really"? he said doubtful.

"Yes. There's nothing in the Chicago office that's available and I want to stay here".

He closed in eyes as a sign of relief. "So, you're staying in Chicago? For good"?

She pulled away from him and turned around. "You truly thought that I'd leave Chicago"?

He shrugged. "I guess I thought it could have always been a possibility".

She smiled. "You really don't give yourself enough credit you know. How could I possibly leave when all I've ever wanted is right here"?!

"You mean that"? he asked as he put down his wine glass on the side table.

"With all my heart. I can't imagine being away from you. Just these two days were far more than enough".

He took her glass from her hand and placed it alongside his. He pulled her into him and kissed her.

"So this is serious"?

"I know it's fast and I know that you've never been with anyone else than Meredith and if you need more time and space and want this to be casual then I'm Ok with that. But I'd be lying to you, if I didn't tell you that for me this is serious".

"I don't need more time or space. I want the same thing you want and I'm serious about us. Move in with me".

She laughed lightly. "I thought I already had".

"Technically and physically, I guess you're right".

"You're talking legally, like cohabitant"?

"Is that how they call it"? He smiled awkwardly. "I guess in my days, when people moved in together they were married".

She gave him a soft and loving look. "Do you want to get married"?

His finger caressed her cheek bone. "I hope that one day, you'll let me". The thought had crossed his mind many times in the past month, but he was no fool. He knew that it was way too early. But it warmed his heart and gave him hope that she hadn't been taken aback by the eventuality as she had asked the question.

"I will and I think you and I will both know when the time is right. In the meantime, I agree that we should officially cohabit. We can go to Town Hall tomorrow".

He nodded in agreement, then opted to venture out on what could be a risky subject. "What about Hank"?

"Well, at least he's on speaking terms with both of us".

"What happened"?

"He was summoned to the hearing and ended up being in the seat next to me on the plane. Things were a bit rough in the beginning but I think he'll come around. He just needs a bit more time. But I doubt that he'll punch you again".

"I just wish he could see what I see when I look at you. How happy and in love I am with you".

"He will and you'll have every chance you get to show him. Starting this weekend".

"This weekend"? he asked intrigued.

"Yes. That's what he was talking about at the airport, that I have to confirm with him. He's invited us over for dinner".

It was definitely a step in the right direction. He just hoped that Hank didn't have a hidden agenda, even though he thought it would be very unlikely. He was going to show and convince Hank that he wouldn't regret him being in Cat's life.

The timer went off and Caitlin removed herself from him and went to the oven. She removed the foil from the lasagna and put another 10 minutes on the timer.

"So what are you going to do now? Workwise, I mean".

"Well, you know me, I never let a job go unless I have some sort of back-up plan".

He stood and walked over to the counter and leaned over the high chair. "You have a back-up plan? Can I know what it is or is it confidential"?

She teased him as she smiled cockily at him. "Nothing's final yet, but I should be able to tell you in a couple of days, once I've seen their offer".

He winced. "Oh ho. What are you up to"?

"Trust me. All you need to know right now is that it has to do with CPD".

His mind started to wander. Counterterrorism? Narcotics? Gang? Vice? Fraud? There were so many options and he knew that in the past both Gang and Vice had been interested in having her on their team. In the end, as long as she was part of CPD and that their work schedules allowed them to see each other more often than none, it was all he cared about.


	15. The things you make me do!

**A month later**

A month had passed since the hearing and as she drove home, she realized how things had massively changed since then. For one, she and Al had legally officialized their situation, which in the end didn't change a single thing and she liked that. She had often heard terrible stories about people being together for years and once things had been officialized, either through cohabiting or marriage, their relationship went down the drain and they split. For them, it was just the opposite, they were more in love than ever. That first weekend dinner at Hank's had been a tad awkward and strange, but as the days and weeks had passed by, things were slowly starting to get back to normal. She had met up with Gaby for lunch a couple of weeks back and they had talked a lot about what had happened since Antonio's death. Gaby was still sad about her brother being gone, but was happy that Cat was moving on with her life. She had thanked her for everything she had done for Eva and Diego and had also told her that Antonio would have approved of her and Alvin's relationship. "Antonio always spoke about Alvin with nothing but praise, he liked him a lot. He would be OK with this Cat", Gaby had told her as they had parted outside the restaurant.

As she was minutes away from home, her phone rang.

"Hey beautiful, don't know if you're up for it but everyone's going to Molly's".

After her first week on the new job, she could really use a night out and a good drink.

"OK. I'll meet you there".

She hung up and headed for the pub.

When she arrived at Molly's, the place was packed. She gently pushed through the crowd and headed towards the back.

"Ah! There she is"! said Adam.

"Hi guys", she said as she sat down on one of the empty stools. "Where's Al"?

"Right here", she heard his voice say from behind her. He placed a Martini glass in front of her and kissed her. "Thought you could use this".

"How thoughtful".

Jay laughed. "So, they already have you on your knees, Instructor"?

"Don't mention it", she said as she took a sip. "I guess I kind of had forgotten how aspiring cops at the Academy, could be so cocky and so damn sure of themselves. It's like they know the job better than you do".

"I wasn't like that", protested Adam.

"Yes you were"! answered Alvin.

Adam frowned. "Well I've changed".

"Good thing too", said Al. "Cause in the beginning, you were going out there guns blazing, not even knowing what the hell you were doing"!

They all laughed.

"So what courses do you teach"? asked Kim.

"Quite a few actually. Investigative Procedures, Defense Tactics, Firearms and how to handle Emotional Situations".

"Wow" said Kim. "That's big"!

Kevin joined in. "Man, girl, you badass"!

They all laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment", she said.

"I would have loved having you as an instructor", said Kim.

"Not me", said Al. "I would never have been able to keep my eyes off of her and focus. They probably would have had to remove me from the program for fraternizing"!

She put her arm around him. "Good thing you're not one of my trainees then"!

"So any interesting trainees"? asked Jay.

"A couple that seem already to be sticking out from the lot, but it's still too early to tell".

"What about undercover stuff"? said Adam.

"What do you mean"?

"You didn't mention a course on going undercover, there isn't one"?

"Technically no, but it's in the works. They've realized that more and more often Patrol Cops move on up in the chain and have no experience in that matter, so they want to start a class on that".

"They should pick you", said Kim. "You've had your share of experience in that field".

Cat smiled but said nothing.

"She's being modest", said Al. "They actually put her in charge of creating the training course on that and to lead it".

She looked at him and smiled shily.

He shrugged. "What, I'm proud"!

"And you should be"! they heard a voice say from behind them. Hank came up to the table, gave Cat a hug and stayed next to her. At that moment in time, there was nothing Caitlin could have wanted more, she was surrounded by the two men that meant the world to her and she had her friends!

Hank took his glass and raised it. "To Instructor Voight! May she be their worst nightmare and make great cops out of them"!

"Here, here", they all said.

"Sorry, can't stay tonight, I've got something planned", said Hank apologetically at Caitlin as he finished his glass and placed it empty on the table.

"Don't worry. Anything important"?

"Nothing important".

An hour later, Caitlin and Alvin were driving back home. As they stopped at the traffic light, Al took Caitlin's hand in his and brought it to his lips to kiss it.

"That was a nice evening", he said.

"Yes, it was. You were boasting".

He smiled. "What can I say, I find you amazing in everything you do. I can't boast in public about certain of those qualities, but when it comes to work, I want everyone to know"!

She gave him a sexy look.

"Oh, no, don't you dare do that now. This is the longest intersection traffic light there is in the district"!

She unbuttoned a few buttons of her shirt, just enough to show some cleavage. "I know", she said teasing him.

He looked at her with desiring eyes. He quickly looked in the rearview mirror and proceeded to change lanes so that he could turn right at the light. She looked at him with fervent curiosity. A few minutes later, he pulled up behind an abandoned warehouse on a dirt field.

"What are you doing"? she asked as he turned off the ignition.

"If you think I'm going to be able to wait almost a half an hour, you're wrong"!

He pulled her close to him and his mouth took control of hers. He undid the remaining buttons, removed her shirt and her bra.

She loved at how since their first time, they had been able to go from soft, romantic and long sex to, hot, passionate, wild and fast sex. It definitely kept things spicy between them.

She removed his shirt and as he pushed the seat as far back as he could, giving them plenty of space, the advantages of big SUV, she removed her pants and thong. When he was ready for her, she straddled him. With every thrust, waves of pleasure filled them. He grabbed her hands and held them behind her, making her lean against the steering wheel, giving him further access into her. She moaned out of pleasure and climaxed first minutes later. Her hips and pelvis continued their magic until in turn he reached his.

She collapsed gently on his chest as they both recuperated. "That was…intense", she said.

He caressed her hair. "The things you make me do"!

"I didn't make you do anything. You're the one who couldn't wait".

"Can you blame me"?

"No. Good thing there is no one here and that the glass is tainted".

Suddenly a light shone at the window and there was a knock on the window. "CPD, stay where you are, put your hands up where I can see them and with one hand slowly open the window"!

Al and Cat looked at each other with eyes wide, then started to laugh at the absurdity of the moment. "He's not serious when he says 'stay where you are', said Cat as she put her hands up in the air.

Al looked at her. "Don't move". He slowly opened the window but simply enough so that their faces were showing.

The officer lowered his flashlight and then took a step back.

"Detective Olinsky? Detective Voight"? It took the cop a few seconds to put in place what was happening. "Terribly sorry for the…. Um interruption. Good night"!

"Good night", said Al with a smile on his face as he closed the window back up.

With that, Caitlin dropped her hands and collapsed again in his arms laughing hysterically.

After they had returned to their normal position and dressed he pulled her in again for a kiss.

"So, how long you think before the entire district knows"? she said looking at him.

"I don't think he'll say anything. To be honest, I think what he really wants to do is forget about what he saw"!

He turned on the ignition again and took the back roads to head home.

"You know the annual gala is coming up", he said nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I know".

"I know that due to that photo in the newspaper, people imagine that we are together, and aside from the Intelligence team and some others, no one really knows that we are. I want to set the record straight".

"You mean at the gala"?

"Yes, I know that you mentioned you may not go, even though you are now part of CPD again, but I want you to. I want to walk into that venue with you by my side. I want everyone at CPD to know how lucky I am".

"Ok".

As he dozed off an hour later, with her in his arms, he finally felt complete again after many years.


	16. A vengeance!

« What you have in front of you are Barrett M98B or M98 Bravos. This is the Tactical .300 Winchester Magnum version. This is a precision rifle that some of you may need to master for long range shots. Maximum range is approximately 1600 yards".

Caitlin picked up the rifle, she was very familiar with it. "It's got a great muzzle brake to your shoulder and a 10-round detachable magazine. One of it's advantages, is that it has a thumb-operated safety that can be accessed without compromising the firing grip that allows you to maintain a solid weld to the adjustable cheek piece".

She took the rifle in her hand and showed it to the recruits. "You can mount on the rail substantial optics as well as night-vision devices and other accessories".

The recruits nodded as they listened and watched her.

"This rifle alone is worth almost 5000$, so don't tamper with it, otherwise, you'll be handing over your first year's salary to replace it".

The crowd made some noises of amazement.

"Alright, so we're going to start with targets at 500 yards in the Prone Shooting Position and we'll finish today at 700 yards. Now show me what you got"!

They all grabbed a rifle, geared up and headed to their designated spots.

"Pretty impressive". She turned around.

"Hey, what are you doing here", she said upon seeing Jay.

"That time of the year again. So came to train a bit".

"You're alone"?

"Yeah, Kevin dropped me off on his way home. How's it going"?

"Good. Did tactical training this morning and now on to these beautiful babies".

"Wow! You're absolutely right, they are beautiful".

She smiled at him. "Come on, take one and try it, I know it's killing you right now"!

"Really? Ok but only if you do too. I kind of miss our competitions", he said as he nudged her.

She hesitated, but just as he finished his sentence, she overheard two of the recruits talking together. "I bet, she can't even reach 200 yards with a rifle like this… Why do they have women teach shooting"?

Jay lifted an eyebrow and was ready to reply to the guys when Caitlin put her hand on his arm and shook her head no.

"Alright Detective Halstead, I will accept your challenge", she said loud enough for all the recruits to hear. They immediately all stopped what they were doing and turned their attention over to them. "Range 1600 yards"!

He looked at her and cocked his head. As they walked over to their positions, she looked at him. "Actions speak louder than words"!

"Are you sure about the 1600 yards"? he said as he settled down on the ground next to her.

"Remember the last time you doubted me? I think you still owe me that drink".

He laughed. "Fair enough".

All the recruits had left their positions and were watching. They watched as Jay started calibrating his rifle and Caitlin looked around.

"My bet is on the Detective", one said. "Yeah, I'm with you on that one", said another.

Caitlin looked left and right at the trees and clouds. She closed her eyes for a moment and then reopened them to start calibrating her rifle. She inhaled and exhaled twice. She then took her last inhalation and paused her breathing as she fired the rifle. Jay shot his target only seconds later. They both stood.

One of the other instructors walked over to Jay's target. "Red"!

The recruits cheered.

The instructor then walked over to Caitlin's. "Yellow".

The recruits blinked a couple of times.

Jay put his arm amicably around Caitlin. "I owe you two drinks now". They walked past the recruits and he looked at them. "And that gentlemen is how it's done. Oh and by the way, never, ever, underestimate your instructors"!

"Halstead, can you hear me"? they both heard on his radio.

"Yeah, what's going on"?

"We've got one of your CIs found deck out near the docks. Alvin's on his way to pick you up"!

"Roger that", he said. He then looked at Cat. "Shit"!

"Had a CI working on something"?

"Not really, but two of them left me messages last night about something they felt was going down. I was supposed to meet with them tonight. Fuck"!

He said it loud enough so that a few recruits turned their heads and watched.

Caitlin put her hand on his shoulder. "Jay, this is not your fault. You couldn't have known that this was going to happen".

At that moment in time, the SUV came up to a screeching halt on the parking lot that overlooked the shooting range of the academy.

She looked at Jay again. "What ever happens, you have got to remember that you are not responsible".

"Why do you say that"?

She cocked her head to the side and smiled. "Because I know you and you take things way too personally and it messes with your head".

"Jay! Let's go man"! They heard Al shouting from outside of the car on the tarmac.

Jay ran up the stairs as Caitlin narrowed her eyes. She motioned to Al to wait a minute as she headed up the stairs. When she met up with him, Jay was already in the car.

"Don't take him with you", she said to Al.

"He'll be fine", he said.

"Al, you know him. No one knows what's happened and he's already blaming himself".

"I'll keep an eye on him OK. I promise".

He kissed her quickly and got back behind the wheel of the SUV and sped off, leaving Caitlin on the tarmac, with her arms crossed and concerned.

Sam Flanigan looked at the scene from afar. She had many qualities; she was a Voight, she was beautiful, a great shooter and knew members of the Intelligence Unit. The only flaw she had, had just become apparent to him; she was already taken. He never took no for an answer and he always got what he wanted!

As Caitlin walked down the stairs as he watched her, she could never have imagined that the most promising of her recruits, had a vengeance and she had been chosen as a pawn, solely because she was a Voight!


	17. I'm not into PDA!

Jay watched as the coroner placed his CI's body on the gurney and bring it to the van.

Hank came next to him, his hands in his pockets.

"What did the message say yesterday"?

"Nothing much, at least not in detail. They both said that something was going down. I told them to meet me tonight".

"Get in touch with your other CI. If he's alive bring him in so we can keep him safe and find out what it was they were referring to".

"Yeah".

"Jay, right now, there is no way of knowing if his death is linked to the fact that he contacted you, so don't go blaming yourself".

Jay nodded. He still felt as though he was to blame.

Kevin came up to them. "Place is clean man, there's nothing here. Whoever did this was pro enough to not leave any tracks. They even extracted the three bullets from the body so we can't identify them".

Hank nodded. "Ok, things just started getting interesting. Ruzek and Halstead, I want you both to head over to the morgue and you stay put until the ME has something that we can work with"!

As Hank got into the car with Alvin, he looked at him. "I don't like the way this is going. It's the first time we've got a potential suspect, removing bullets from a dead body".

"Most probably because it could lead to some other case, they don't want us to relate it to".

"There's nothing more that pisses me off than to not resolve a case, let alone two or more. We've got to get somewhere with this one and hopefully when we do, we'll be able to resolve the others".

Hank thought about it, there were plenty of unsolved cases, cold cases, as they were called, and they were every cop's worst nightmare.

Caitlin was working at her desk the next morning, filling in some quarterly recruit evaluations, when Sam Flanigan knocked on her opened door.

She looked up. "Come in".

"I hope I'm not interrupting", he said with a suave voice.

She put the evaluations in a folder and closed it. "No, what can I do for you"? she said as she showed him the empty chair across from her desk.

He sat down and looked at her. "I think my shooting skills aren't what they should be".

She leaned back in her chair. "Indeed, you're shooting skills are way off par and unless you improve you won't pass".

He nodded. "I guess I should practice more".

"That's always a good plan".

"But what's the point of practicing if I don't have someone to show me or tell me what I'm doing wrong"?

He was lying straight to her face. He had expert shooting skills. He used to go hunting with his father and could easily shoot a target at 1000 yards. He couldn't help but realize that pretending to be a sore shooter was harder than he had envisioned.

"You could sign up for some private remediation with one of the instructors during your free moments. I'm sure you'll improve in no time".

"What instructors are those"?

"There's Rogers, Pearson and McDonnell".

"Oh. You don't do remediation"?

She smiled. "Unfortunately not, I was one of the last instructors to join the team and therefore the positions go to instructors with more seniority".

He took a mental note of what she said and stood.

"Ok, then. I'll think about it".

"Don't wait too long, otherwise, the other's will leave you in the dust".

"Thank you for your time and encouragements".

"That's what I'm here for".

He left her office and thought about what his next step was going to be.

Jay arrived that morning at work, a mess. The ME had found no evidence. At least none that could lead them to the suspect and to top it all off, he hadn't been able to get in contact with his other informant.

"Jay, have you heard back from your CI"? asked Hank seeing him walk in.

"No. Either he's heard what's happened and he's keeping a low profile or he's also dead somewhere in an alley".

"Well lets hope it's not the latter. If he's gone into hiding, just keep trying to call him and tell him we can protect him".

Jay nodded and returned to his desk and tried to contact his informer.

By noon, he had already left 10 messages and still hadn't heard anything.

He looked at Al. "It's useless".

"Keep trying. At some point the voicemail will be saturated, then you know he's not getting your messages. If you keep going and can still keep leaving messages, then there's a hope he's listening to them".

Caitlin walked into District 21 a little after noon. She stopped by Trudy at the desk.

"Hi Trudy".

Trudy looked up from her sandwich. "Oh my God Cat! Would you get over here and give me a hug"!

Caitlin smiled as she walked over behind the counter and gave Trudy a warm hug.

Trudy looked at her. "I am so glad that you've decided to stay in Chicago and on top of that I am proud that you are training the future cops of my District".

"Well thanks. I'm doing my best. Think you could buzz me up"?

"Yeah but do me a favor, wipe that smile off your face, they're in a foul mood today. It's the North Pole up there if you ask me".

"Tough case huh"?

Trudy looked at her sideways. "How do you know"?

"I never reveal my sources", Cat said as she headed towards the caged door.

"Hey Cat"? yelled out Trudy. "Where are you staying these days"?

It became obvious that Trudy was one of the people Alvin had talked about who believed they knew but needed confirmation on the status of their relationship.

"With a friend".

When she arrived upstairs, they were all standing and staring at the board. Trudy had been right, the air was chilly and you could feel it.

"A set of fresh eyes, perhaps"? she said.

They all turned around as she walked up to them.

Hank tried to smile at her. "It couldn't hurt to try, but I've got to warn you, we literally have nothing".

She took a look at the board and read the various documents stuck on it. After a few minutes she looked at Hank then at Jay.

"You're right, there's not much".

"If he hadn't removed the bullets, we'd have something to work on", said Jay apparently very pissed off.

She took a closer look at the gunshot wound pictures that the forensic team had taken. She tilted her head and a few of them did the same mirroring her gesture. They weren't sure why she was doing it, but thought maybe they had missed something and had needed a different angle.

"What about casting or molding the wounds to get details on the bullet"?

"Doesn't that usually work for knife wounds and other object"? asked Kevin.

"Yes, it's never been done for a bullet wound, but at this point, what have you got to lose"?

She looked closer at the pictures. "The wounds don't seem deep, they were just shot in the right place to make the most damage. Since they weren't deep, we can hope that the suspect removed them very easily without damaging too much of the skin or tissue around it. The molding could give you a clear view of the markings on the bullet".

Hank looked at her then at the rest of them. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get the ME to do a molding of the three wounds and send that over to ballistics for identification"!

They all scattered as Hank smiled at Caitlin. "You never cease to amaze me. Where do you come up with these things"?

She laughed. "It's a Voight thing. You would have thought of it eventually".

He smiled. "Huh, a Voight thing. I like the sound of that".

"You got a minute for me"? she asked him.

His desk phone rang. "Yeah, just give me a minute".

She nodded and caught Al looking at her from his desk. She strode over.

"I love watching you work your magic".

As always she shrugged off the compliment. "It's probably a long shot". She looked at Jay. "I don't want to get your hopes up or anything".

Jay nodded. "Right now, I'll take anything I can. I'm glad you stopped by".

Hank stuck his head out of his office. "I'm all yours".

She headed for his office and sat down as he waited at the door.

"Do I need to close the door"?

"No. It's a professional discussion".

He sat down. "Shoot".

"Well there are two things. The first is that the Deputy Chief is starting to realize that special units seem to be quite attractive to new recruits and he would like to have a program put in place during the training so that recruits can spend a day in the units they are interested in".

"What would the recruits do"?

"Nothing really just watch and learn".

"Well if the Deputy Chief wants this and they only do what you've just said, I think we can arrange for that to happen. How many recruits are we talking about"?

"Not sure yet. We're going to go around and ask them which units they are interested in and put together a schedule".

"Alright then, keep me in the loop. What's the second thing"?

"Well, I got the green light from him as well about bringing in active police officers with expert knowledge on some of the things they are learning and I wanted to ask if I could borrow Jay for his shooting skills and Alvin for his knowledge on going undercover"?

He frowned.

"Don't do that", she said seeing his reaction. "It would only be for a day and it won't be both at the same time. I used to be a part of this team remember? I know you like to have all hands on deck, which is why I'm not taking them at the same time".

"Ok. Fine. I just hope that when the time comes, I'll be able to spare them. Solving these cases will always be my priority".

"I don't think anyone would want it to be any other way".

She stood. "Thanks, I really appreciate it. You've got a team with amazing skills and talent, not only do I want recruits to see that for themselves, but I also want them to benefit from it".

"You really like this job".

"Yeah, I do. I miss being out on the field but I still feel as though I'm making a difference".

He stood and joined her at the door frame. "I'm sure you are".

He looked at Al. "Alvin said that you're coming to the gala tonight. I'm glad you reconsidered".

"Even if my recruits will be there as well as the other instructors, I had already changed my mind before knowing that".

She looked at her watch. "That being said, I should get going. I still have a few things I need to do before tonight. I'll see you then"!

As Alvin was busy on the phone, she simply winked at him and left.

Adam looked at Kim. "You never wink at me".

She frowned. "Why would I? We're always together. And since we are on the subject of blaming each other for things we don't do… you never kiss me when we're in public"!

"Well, I'm not into PDA".

"But I am", she retorted back.

"Not me".

"Then consider winking PDA"! she said before turning her attention back to her work.

Adam threw his hands up in the air. "They do that stuff because they're not married"!

Kim harshly turned around. "No, they do that stuff because they love each other"! She stood and headed for the kitchen.

Alvin looked at him. "Kid, do yourself a favor and stop talking! You're making your case worse"!


	18. I need answers!

Alvin paced around the venue hallway, in his dress uniform, waiting for Caitlin to arrive. Even though she was his +1, she had been asked by the Deputy Chief to give a speech to the recruits prior to them going to the Gala. It hadn't been really a speech, more a set of rules and guidelines for them to keep in mind as they found themselves with high members of Law Enforcement. He hadn't seen her since she had left the District earlier that day and he was impatient to see her.

The Deputy Chief walked in followed by some of the instructors and the recruits. After they had all entered he wondered where Caitlin was. He then heard the door reopen. His eyes grew wide and his heart literally skipped a beat from what he saw.

Caitlin was standing a couple of feet away from him in the most beautiful gown he had ever seen. The long gown was navy blue to match with his dress uniform. It was strapless and had a sweetheart shaped neckline with matching beading and she was holding a navy clutch. Her hair was down with natural waves and she was wearing very light make-up.

He walked over to her. "You are breathtaking"! he said as he pulled her in closer into him.

She blushed and he loved it. She put her hand on his chest. "And you look dashing and sexy in that dress uniform". She had never seen him dressed liked that and even though he did look sexy and stylish, she still preferred him in his casual attire, it fit better who we was.

He put his bent arm out. "Shall we"?

She smiled at him. "A bit too formal don't you think"?

He laughed. "I guess you're right". He opened his hand and waited for her to place hers delicately in his before closing it. Her hand was not much smaller than his and fit perfectly. They walked into the reception hall and paused momentarily to find the rest of the team.

The tables had been set up by district. Caitlin recognized a few from District 21 but most of the seats where empty. Some people stopped their conversations and looked at them, mostly the men who nodded in their direction either in approval or acknowledgement, Caitlin couldn't say.

"Shall we head over to the bar? I think we'll find them over there and we can get something to drink at the same time", said Al.

As they made their way towards the bar, people moved aside to let them through.

Trudy nudged Hank. "So, it was true"! she said as she caught a glimpse of Alvin and Caitlin walking towards them hand in hand.

Hank turned around and watched this beautiful woman that was his niece walking in their direction with his best friend at her side. He realized, again as he watched them, how perfect they were for each other. He smiled at Trudy. "Wasn't my place to say".

She narrowed her eyes. "And you're OK with this"?

"It took some time, but yeah. I'm more than OK with this".

Trudy gave a sigh of relief. "Oh good. Then I won't feel bad about saying that they compliment each other really well"!

Trudy opened her arms wide and took Cat in for a hug. "Sweetheart, you look beautiful"!

"Thank you".

Caitlin hugged Hank as Trudy discreetly took Alvin aside.

"You do know that, that young woman is a rare precious diamond, don't you"?

"Trust me, I know".

"Good, then I won't have to threaten you. I don't know what your intentions are but don't wait too long because after tonight, a lot of men are going to wish they were in your shoes and some of them have no scruples"!

He nodded and quickly glanced around the room and noticed what Trudy was seeing. A few men from the other districts were ogling at Caitlin. But he didn't care, he was a confident man and she had chosen him. They could stare all night if they wanted, in the end, she was going home with him!

"Trudy? Where's Randy"? asked Caitlin realizing she hadn't seen Mouch anywhere.

"Couldn't get off duty. He'll be a bit late".

"Oh, that's a shame".

Kim and Adam walked in followed by Jay and a brunette no one had ever seen. Kim was wearing a black halter dress and the unknown brunette a red off the shoulder dress. They quickly joined Hank, Trudy, Alvin and Caitlin at the bar and Jay introduced the brunette as Stacey Epstein. She was a bit younger than them and hanging on to Jay as if her life depended on it. She was obviously nervous.

Caitlin looked at Kim, Trudy and Stacey. "Why don't we go find our table and let the men finish their drinks"?

Kim nodded in agreement. "Great idea, my feet are killing me"!

"I'll stay here", said Stacey.

Unluckily for her, Trudy hated leeches and women who lacked self-confidence.

"Don't worry, he's not going anywhere", she told Stacey as she grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from Jay. Kim and Caitlin laughed as they followed Trudy and a resigned Stacey.

When all the speeches had been given and the dinner finished, the mayor and his wife along with the Chief and his wife opened the ball. Little by little other couples joined them.

Alvin stood and put his hand out towards Caitlin. "Dance with me"?

"I'd love to", she said as she stood.

Alvin quickly looked at Adam and nodded in the direction of the dance floor. Things had been tense the rest of the day between Adam and Kim and he was out on a mission to fix it.

Adam stood and looked at Kim. "Let's go dance".

Alvin rolled his eyes at Adam's lack of romance and led Caitlin to the dance floor. He pulled her in close and she put her arms around his neck. As they swayed and looked into each other's eyes, the world around them vanished. He kissed her softly caught a glimpse of Hank leaving the hall entirely.

"Did Hank mention he had to leave before the end of the gala"? he asked Caitlin.

"No. I don't think so why"?

"I don't know, seems like he just left".

"I wouldn't worry. If it's something important or related to work, you would have been the first to know".

"You're right. No more talking about Hank". He paused for a moment to separate the two subjects. "I am one of the luckiest, if not the luckiest man in the world. The more time passes, the more I realize I can't imagine my life without you in it….", he paused for a while. "Meredith"?

Caitlin suddenly stopped dancing. Had he just called her Meredith? "Meredith"? she said letting go of him and taking a step back.

Seeing his face change, she turned around and saw Hank and Meredith walk into the reception hall, hand in hand and head towards the dance floor. As they started to dance, Caitlin most probably as Alvin realized the proximity between them, how they were looking at each other and she realized this was not platonic.

She saw Al take a step forward. She put her hand on his chest and looked at him. "Al, don't. This is not the time or the place. Let's just go, Ok"?

He abruptly removed her hand from his chest. "I need answers"! he said as he walked past her.

Al arrived by their side and looked at Meredith then Hank. "You do remember that I was married to her"?

Hank and Meredith stopped dancing. "Alvin", said Meredith gently.

"I'm talking to Hank", he replied harshly.

"Yes. I remember", said Hank calmly.

"So this is what? Retaliation for my being with Caitlin"?

"That's got nothing to do with this. I have fully accepted your relationship with Caitlin".

Caitlin arrived next to Alvin.

"So, because you have fully accepted my being with her, I need to do the same about this"? said Alvin slowly raising his voice causing a few people to stare in their direction. He turned his attention to Meredith. "I was respectful and I came to tell you about Cat and I and you go and do this behind my back"!

Meredith looked at Caitlin then at the floor. Caitlin gently put her hand on his arm. "Al, let's go home. We can all talk about this some other time".

He looked at Hank and Meredith and without even paying attention to Caitlin, he stormed out of the room and out of the venue. He got in his car and headed to the closed bar.

Caitlin stared in the direction he had left, eyes filled with tears and anger.

"I'm sorry", said Hank. She turned towards him. "Coming from you, I wouldn't be surprised", she then turned to Meredith, "but you, you owed him that much to tell him".

Once again, Meredith said nothing but looked at the floor. She was feeling guilty and as Caitlin walked away, she really could have cared less.  
As she sat in the cab to take her home, Caitlin tried to call Alvin on his cell, but he didn't answer. When she arrived home a little before midnight, she changed and sat in the sofa. She tried his phone again a couple of times. Although she was angry at Hank and Meredith, her anger grew towards Al. He had ignored her, left her there, wasn't picking up his phone, wasn't home and was probably getting himself drunk! So much for not imagining his life without her in it! At around 2 in the morning she gave up calling and waiting. She grabbed an extra pillow and blanket from the linen closet and placed them on the sofa. Hurt, mad and sad, she locked the bedroom door. There was no way he would sleep in their bed, sober or not!


	19. It's just complicated

Somewhere around 4 o'clock in the morning, Caitlin woke up with a startle. Alvin was home and probably more drunk than not. She heard him fumble with the bedroom doorknob a couple of times.

"Caitlin"? he said in a semi-slurred voice.

She didn't answer him.

"Come on baby, open the door. We need to talk about this".

She sighed. "Go sleep it off on the couch, we'll talk about it in the morning".

He stood behind the door with his shoulders slumped over and put his head down. Coming to terms with the fact that she wasn't going to open the door, he headed back into the living room and laid down fully dressed on the sofa and fell asleep.

At seven o'clock, Caitlin woke up feeling exhausted. The gala, the events of that evening and waiting up for him most of the night had drained her. She showered, got dressed and headed into the living room. Alvin was still sound asleep.

"Well, at least one of us slept well", she grumbled quietly.

She hesitated on whether or not she should wake him to go to work, but resigned in doing so. She wasn't his mother and even though his reaction and actions at the gala and after were childish, he wasn't a kid anymore and he would have to deal with the consequences.

She grabbed an apple and a bottle of water and left for the Academy for a full day's work between tactical training and faculty meetings.

When Al woke up, the sun was shining through the window and he squinted. His head was throbbing and he smelled as if he'd spent the entire night in a keg of whiskey. He looked at his watch. It was almost noon. He sat up and looked around. He walked over to the bedroom. He knew it was useless and that she was already gone. The bed had been made. He headed for the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked darn right pathetic. He undressed, showered and put on some fresh clothes. He had a bite to eat and then looked at his phone that he had somehow managed to place on the kitchen countertop.

He had 20 missed calls. Most of them had been from Caitlin during the night, followed by a big amount from Hank, Meredith and a few from Adam. He frowned upon seeing that Caitlin hadn't tried to contact him since she had left that morning. He auto-dialed her number, but after a few rings, it went to voicemail. Not a good sign at all, he thought to himself.

Caitlin entered the meeting room that afternoon trying to show interest and focus but it was hard. All she could think about was Alvin, Hank and Meredith.

"Right', said Roberts. "First topic on the agenda is the firearm remediation. Late last night as he was returning home from the gala, Pearson was attacked by an unknown suspect and has multiple fractures in his right arm and hand. We still don't know how long he'll be out".

He turned his attention to Caitlin. "Caitlin, during his absence, I need you to step up and take over his remediations. Is that alright with you"?

"Of course. Is he OK"? she asked concerned about her fellow colleague.

"Yes, he's lucky in the sense that his arm is all that was injured. Thanks for taking that on, I know you already have your plate full. Stay a few minutes after the meeting and I'll pass on his schedule over to you".

Caitlin nodded and took a quick note on her notepad. Sure, it was going to make her spend more time at the Academy than she already was, but it was work. She was sad to hear about Pearson but relieved somewhat that she would be away from home, especially in light of what was happening. She sighed. This was not the kind of relationship she wanted. The kind where she dreaded going home and preferred being at work instead.

As she headed back to her office with Pearson's schedule for the next two weeks, her phone rang, it was Al. She sat down at her desk and put the phone down. She stared at it as it kept ringing. She was still hurt and mad and had no desire to discuss the matter then and there and mostly not over the phone.

She looked at the schedule and realized that she had remediation from 4-6PM. She smiled upon seeing the name on the 6PM slot. It was Sam Flanigan and she was glad that he had taken her advice.

At 6PM, Sam Flanigan arrived at the outdoor shooting range in an extremely good mood. He smiled as he stopped in front of Caitlin.

"So, you're taking over for Pearson"? he asked.

Caitlin knew that the recruits had been made aware of the situation. "Yes. Shall we get started".

He took the gun and headed for his slot. "I'm sorry it's so late. Pearson had no issues with 6PM. I hope it's not going to be an issue and that I'm not taking away from you time with your husband".

She shook her head. "Not a problem. Besides, I'm not married".

He looked at her as though he had made a terrible mistake. "I'm sorry. The other day, I saw you with that Detective near the car, I thought he was your husband".

She smiled. "No harm done, it's just that we're not married".

"You don't believe in marriage"?

At first she was taken aback by his question, but in the end, she herself had asked people that very question. It was always nice to hear other people's point of view on marriage.

"I do, it's just complicated, that's all. Are you ready"?

He smiled but not because he was about to pretend to shoot like an amateur, but because she had mentioned that her situation was complicated. He liked complicated. It meant that if he played his cards right, he might be able to draw a winning hand that would give him an advantage in his plan.

Caitlin watched him shoot a couple times from a standing position with the bipod. He had missed every single shot. She passed her hand in her hair. Maybe this was a hopeless case. She then automatically brushed the idea from her head. Nothing was hopeless! She was going to turn him a great shooter, no matter what it took.

He turned around and looked at her. "What am I doing wrong"?

"Everything", she said with a shy smile. She didn't want it to sound or seem too dramatic. "Your posture is good, but you're not taking into account the external factors and your breathing is too fast and harsh".

She pointed to the rifle. "May I"?

"Please, there's nothing that I want more".

She took it and he took a step to the side. "Once you are in position, you need to take into account the wind factor. Look at the trees around to identify its direction and the clouds to assess its speed".

"Don't we have tools for that"? he asked.

"Yes you do, but one day if those fail, you'll have to go at it solo. Often you only have one chance at taking a good and life-changing shot, there aren't always second shots".

"Once you've done that, you can calibrate your shot. Take a few breaths calmly before preparing to shoot. When you're ready, inhale, hold your breath in a relaxed manner, shoot and then exhale. Your breathing is interfering with your aim because it shifts your rifle".

He watched as she put into application what she had just said and sure enough she nailed it right smack in the middle of the target.

As she backed up, the wind blew her hair and his nostrils flared with delight as he caught the scent of her strawberry shampoo or conditioner. Inevitably, she bumped into him as she backed away from the rifle and he very carefully placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry", she said embarrassed.

He removed his hands against his own burning desire. "No harm done".

"Ok, you're turn".

He shot again and missed although he had taken into the wind factor.

She shook her head. "It's your breathing. Your calibration was good. I'd like to try something if that's OK with you"?

He nodded.

"Ok, take your position and calibrate again".

When he was ready she placed one hand on his chest and the other on his back. "If this is making you feel uncomfortable, let me know, OK".

He shook his head as he looked at her and smiled. His blue eyes sunk deep into hers.

"Right, so… take a few breaths for me. Good, now inhale, hold and shoot".

She felt him inhale and his chest stopped moving as he held his breath. He shot the rifle.

"Now, exhale".

He stood up straight and they both looked at the target. "I did it"! he said proud of himself.

She smiled proud too. "Yes you did. Now I want you to keep doing that, on your own".

A half an hour later, they walked up the stairs towards the parking lot.

"What can I do to thank you"? he asked. "A drink perhaps"?

"Oh no, that's not necessary and on top of that it's against the rules. You want to thank me? Pass and graduate and when you're a cop, then you can offer me a drink".

"Fair enough. Can I sign up for another remediation next week? Same day, same time"?

She shook her head. "Unfortunately, I already have a full schedule next week".

"Oh", he said disappointed.

She felt bad. She remembered all the times some of her instructors had gone the extra mile to help her achieve something and realized it was her turn. "But I can fit you in at 7PM, if it's not too late for you"?

He smiled. "Really? That's great".

"Yeah, we can try to use the night-vision tool".

"Looking forward to it. Good night, see you tomorrow".

"Good night". She said as she headed towards the main building to pick up her things.

As she headed home, she wondered if it was really going to be a good night!


	20. The stand-in!

When Caitlin returned home at half past seven, the apartment was empty. She was at the same time relieved and disappointed.

She put her stuff away and was about to take out the leftovers to heat up, when she heard the door open.

Al walked sheepishly into the kitchen. He wasn't sorry about what he had done in regards to Hank and Meredith but he was sorry about what he had done to Caitlin. She wasn't responsible for their masquerade and their coup.

"I thought you might be tired, so I went to buy some tacos", he said quietly.

She put the leftovers back in the fridge and looked at him. "If this is your apology, it sucks", she said flat out.

He put the bag carrying the tacos on the kitchen counter and passed a hand over his mustache.

"You're right". He cautiously took a step towards her. "Cat, I'm sorry about leaving you last night and not returning your calls. I'm sorry I went out drinking and came back in the state that I was".

She crossed her arms, indicating clearly that she didn't want him near her and he understood that he had gone too far. The look in her face, resembled the one she had when Hank had hurt her by pushing her away from Antonio's case. Now, he too, had let her down and he had promised himself he would never do that.

"That's it"?

"Yeah, that's it. I was angry. I have always done right by Meredith, always been honest with her, even when it was about you and me… and to think that she didn't have the decency to tell me. And let's not even talk about Hank"!

She shook her head and walked over to the living room.

"Don't walk away from me Cat! I have a right to be mad"!

In her stride, she turned around harshly. "Why? What difference is there between us and them"?

"You're his niece and she's my wife"!

The minute the words came out of his mouth he regretted it as he watched Caitlin's facial expression change from anger to a mix of shock and heart retching pain.

"It's not what I meant". He brought it down a notch in his tone. "You can't understand".

Tears rolled down her eyes. "No, you're right. How could I? I was married for only a minute. Do you still love her"?

He said nothing as he witnessed her coming apart.

"You know what? Don't answer that. I know the answer. So, since she wouldn't have you anymore, I was there. I was the stand-in. I'm the one you love by default", she said as she desperately tried to brush the tears away from her eyes and cheeks.

It was now his turn to feel pain. This was going totally wrong. He took a step in her direction. "That's not true and you know it".

She took another step away from him. "No. I don't know what's true anymore".

She turned and headed for their bedroom and locked the door. He sat down on the couch. A few minutes later, he heard her lock herself into the bathroom. After another few minutes, she walked into the living room with a duffel bag on her shoulder and headed for the entrance.

He stood panicking. "What are you doing? Where are you going? Cat"?

"I can't be here right now. I love you but not like this, not after this. I wasted many years of my life convincing myself I wasn't good enough for Antonio and when we finally realized that we were meant to be together, he died. I'm not going to make that same mistake. If I have to convince you that you don't love her anymore and that I'm the one that you want to spend the rest of your life with, it's a losing battle. Because I shouldn't have to convince you, you should be convincing me"!

She grabbed the doorknob and opened the door.

"Will you at least tell me where you're going? Are you going to Hank's"?

"No, he'd be too thrilled to rub it into my nose that he had been right all along and that I made a mistake. Don't worry about me, I always land on my feet".

She left the apartment with Alvin standing in the middle of the living room, feeling gutted. He walked lifeless towards the front door and stopped shy of it. He turned and looked at himself in the mirror. In an excess of anger and rage against the reflection of the man who had just let the woman he loved more than he had ever loved another, he punched his fist in the mirror.


	21. They wouldn't call it love!

He stared at the broken mirror for quite some time. He was lost in his thoughts. He heard a knock on the door. Without even thinking straight, he opened it.

"Cat"!?

He stared blankly at Meredith.

"Can I come in"? she asked.

"Sure", he said.

When she came inside, she saw the broken pieces of glass on the wooden floor and caught a glimpse of Alvin's bleeding knuckles. "Al, what have you done"?

She took his hand and led him to the kitchen sink. "Where's Caitlin"? she asked as she held his hand underneath the cold running water.

He swallowed and looked at her with broken eyes. "Gone. I ruined everything".

She didn't know what to say at first about that. "You have a first aid kit"?

"Underneath the bathroom cabinet".

She walked slowly through the rooms and headed towards the only available hallway. She passed in front of the bedroom and looked inside. There were a few frames with pictures of Alvin and Caitlin and she smiled at how happy and in loved they looked. As she headed to the bathroom, she was certain that Al was mistaken, things couldn't end between them.

She returned to the kitchen and led Al to the dining room table where she started to disinfect his wounds and patch him up.

"I'm sorry Al. You were right about what you said last night. I should have told you, but to be honest, I don't even know where it's going. We just enjoy each other's company but we shouldn't have blindsided you. I feel responsible for what's happening between you and Caitlin".

"No, it's all my fault. I don't deserve her".

Meredith wrapped his hand in a bandage and looked at him. "Don't say that. It's not true. You are an amazing man and when you love, you love with all your heart. And it's not a question of who deserves who. You belong together Al, it's that simple".

He looked at her. "Was I good to you? Was I a good husband"?

"Oh Al. Why does it matter? Why do you need to know"?

He lifted his eyes, then closed them for a second before looking at her again. "Because I need to know. Because I don't want to make the same mistakes again".

She put her hand on his and looked at him softly. So, Caitlin was the one. She was the one that he loved so much, he would change and marry her. She had often wondered, who would come along and be the one. She would never have thought years ago that it could have been Caitlin, the little girl she used to bake cookies with. But now, she was happy to know that it was her.

"You were good to me Al and you were an amazing husband and father. But then you had a dark moment and you stopped fighting for us, for me and we drifted apart". She paused for a while and then stood.

"If you don't want to make the same mistake, then fight back. Fight for her, fight for what you have together and never stop"!

He nodded and watched as she left the apartment. He walked over to the mirror and started to pick up the broken pieces from off the floor. Meredith's words resonated in his head. He was going to fight for her, he would show her and convince her that there was no one else in his heart!

Caitlin knocked on the door and waited. Seconds later, it opened.

"Hey", she said quietly.

He could tell she had been crying, her eyes were red and blotchy.

He showed her inside. She walked in and put down her duffle bag.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know who else to call that wasn't somehow involved and meddle".

"I'm glad you called", he said. "Even if I wasn't your first choice".

"Oh God Connor, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way, I just need to think and not have everyone give me a piece of their mind. It's only for tonight".

He showed her the sofa and she nodded. He grabbed two beers from the fridge and met her in the sofa.

"I guess you don't want to talk about it".

She shrugged. "It's not that. I guess like I said their all too involved either personally or professionally in our lives".

She took a sip of her beer.

"So you and Al had a fight"?

"No. I can't say that it was a fight. But things were said and done that I can't get my head around".

She paused for a moment.

"Look you don't have to talk about it but I'm a good listener and we're friends. I promise I won't give you any advice unless you ask for it", he said as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hank showed up last night at the gala with Meredith, Alvin's ex-wife and well, let's just say that Al didn't take it well".

"I can see how that got under his skin. Especially if he didn't know".

"I agree. I too was shocked at first, but it wasn't the time or place to discuss it, and he wouldn't listen to me, he literally ignored my presence and walked out on me, when minutes earlier we were slow dancing and he was saying he couldn't imagine his life without me in it".

"He left you there"? said Connor surprised. It didn't sound like Alvin.

She nodded.

"You said you were shocked at first, you're not anymore"?

"How can I react the way Hank did when he found out about us, when I asked him not to".

"So, you're here because he walked out on you? Look I said I wouldn't say anything but it seems to me as though you're using that as an excuse to run away from him or from something".

"I didn't come here because of that. Trust me that was the tip of the iceberg".

"Go on then".

"He staid out all night drinking, then when I came home later, he almost acted like nothing had happened. We argued and during that time he asked him what was different between our relationship and theirs. To make the long story short he said that Meredith was his wife"!

She looked down at her hands. "He said he'd made a mistake in saying that and that I couldn't understand".

Connor sighed. "You think he's still in love with her, don't you"?

"I know they drifted apart years ago and I know he tried to win her back, to fix things and in the end she didn't let him. It was her decision, not his. He still lived in their garage, maybe he couldn't cut the tie between them, maybe he still hoped".

"Or maybe he staid for Lexi", said Connor simply.

"Maybe. But I can't live with that doubt hanging over my head".

"Love is scary Cat. You know that, I know that. Everyone knows that. It's like bungee jumping. Some stay sitting on the ledge afraid to jump and get hurt, afraid of losing control. Others dare, they jump in head first. The ones that don't jump probably pass aside something extraordinary and they'll never know what they missed", he paused for a second not sure he should say what he was about to.

"You sat on that ledge for quite some time when it came to Antonio and then you jumped and it didn't end well. I get you're scared but it doesn't always end bad. You're going to have to decide if you're going to keep sitting on that ledge or if you're going to jump"!

Her eyes got teary. "I love him Connor. Why does it have to be this hard"?

He pulled her into a comforting embrace. "Because otherwise, they wouldn't call it love"!


	22. Keep it that way!

Alvin ignored Hank most of the morning at work. He could see that Hank was trying to talk to him but the only thing on his mind was Caitlin. Once things were fixed with her, then he'd talk to Hank!

Caitlin hadn't called all evening nor that morning and he had no idea where she was or who she was with. He couldn't help but feel jealous. When things had been bad in the past, she had come to him; so who had she gone to, to get away from him? He knew that, in general, he could trust Caitlin and that he didn't need to fear other men, but seeing how broken she had been when she had left, he wondered if she would allow herself to make a mistake.

When lunch time rolled by, he got in his car. He was about to start the engine when the passenger door opened. It was Adam.

"What are you doing"? asked Alvin.

"We need to talk".

"Get out of the car".

"I'm serious", said Adam.

"Suit yourself", said Al as he turned on the ignition and left the parking lot.

"If you want to talk about what happened at the Gala, you're wasting your time", said Al.

"Trust me, I've got problems of my own to start sticking my nose in yours".

"Well go on then, what are you waiting for? Twenty questions"?

"I need you to tell me what I'm doing wrong with Kim"?

Alvin kept his eyes on the road. "Right now, I don't think I'm the right person to give you relationship advice".

Adam looked at him. "Cat's mad at you because of what happened at the Gala"?

Al stared him down. "I thought we weren't talking about the gala".

He then looked at him again. "Wait! What do you know? Do you know where she is? Is she staying with you and Kim"?

"What"? said Adam shocked. "She left"?

Alvin said nothing.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't know. And to answer your question, I don't know where she is. If Kim knows, she hasn't told me. The only reason I know that she's mad is because, we kind of witnessed the whole thing".

"Can you think of anywhere she would go"? asked Alvin.

"No. She probably went to a hotel or motel for the night. I'm sure she'll be home tonight and it'll be like nothing happened".

He pulled up on the Academy parking lot and stopped the car. "It doesn't happen like that Adam. I think that's where your problem is. You wanted advice? Here's my advice to you: A strong marriage isn't magically created when you say 'I do'. It's built on a lifetime of 'I dos', I do love you, I do cherish you, I do respect you and I do choose you. Stop thinking that because you're married that you can rest on your laurels and take what you have for granted"!

He got out of the car and headed towards the main building. As he walked down the hall he was stopped by Tom Fisher, an old friend.

"Well, would you look at what the cat dragged in! Good to see you Alvin".

They shook hands.

"How've you been Tom"?

"Not bad, can't complain. Looking for another new recruit"?

"Not this time Tom. Is Caitlin around"? he said looking around the hall.

Tom smiled. "Right, I heard about the two of you. Nice catch with that one".

"Yeah, thanks", he said not truly amused by his choice of words. But then again Fisher was on his fourth or fifth wife, so it came as no surprise to him.

"She's not here. She's on a two-day off-site tactical training. I'm sure she must have told you", he said eyeing Al.

"You're right. She did mention it, but it's been real hectic at work lately and I guess I forgot it was now".

"I hear ya. I'm sure it's hard being, not only on radio silence but also away from her for two days. Hang in there buddy, she'll be back tomorrow". He paused for a moment then leaned in towards Al. "Lucky for you, I'm married", he said winking.

Alvin tapped him on the shoulder, still not amused. "Well, keep it that way"!

When he walked back towards the car, Adam was behind the wheel. He stuck his head out. "We've got gunshots inside a house, let's go"!

Al jumped in the car and fastened his seatbelt as they drove off.

"So, how'd it go"?

"Nowhere. She's off-site until tomorrow".

"Ok so you still have two days to find how to win her back".

He looked at Adam. "Just drive".

Caitlin came out of the woman's locker room when she bumped into Sam. Everything she was holding fell to the floor.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going", said Sam as he helped her pick up her things. He made sure that every time he could, he would touch her. Her fingers, her hand, shoulder, knee.

She stood. "It happens, don't worry". She started to walk away. He hastened to catch up with her.

"I was wondering if I could have a few minutes of your time, since I bumped into you".

She stopped in front of the door of her temporary room. "Sure. What can I do for you"?

"I wanted to hand in my list of units I wanted to spend time with and I was hoping you could talk a bit about the Intelligence Unit. I mean you're the one here who knows the most about it, considering you were part of it and who's in charge".

"What do you want to know"?

"Everything".

She laughed. "If I tell you everything, you won't have the pleasure of discovering it when you go".

"True. Ok then what's Voight like as a sergeant"?

"He's tough. He doesn't take crap from anyone. But he's a great cop. He'll push you to your full potential and he'll stand by you. There aren't many sergeants like him". She smiled. "But then again maybe I'm biased. He is my uncle after all".

He smiled back. "Then I'll add it to my list. You've got me intrigued about the unit and the man himself. I appreciate you taking the time. Good night".

As he returned towards the barracks, he deviated from his route to a quiet and hidden location he had scouted during one of the breaks. He took his phone out and turned it on. He sat in the dark with pride as the feed, from the camera he had placed in Caitlin's room when she was in the locker room, came to life on his screen. Caitlin was closing her computer. He then watched captivated as she got out of her tactical gear and into a tank top and shorts. She sat in bed for a while, much to his dismay, before finally falling asleep. He waited an hour then shut his phone off and headed back towards her room.

He opened the door slowly, entered and walked over to her bed. He watched her for a few minutes, taking in all her beauty. His hand remained steady as he gently pulled down the covers and let his fingers trail down from her shoulder, over her breasts and down to her thigh. She shifted in her sleep. He placed the cover back over her body and walked out of the room. It was a shame. He wanted her but he couldn't deviate from his plan because of his attraction. It was too bad that she would become collateral damage.

As she slept. Little did she know that soon, it would all be a nightmare!

Alvin opened the mail and sorted through it. He headed for the bar and picked up the bottle of whiskey. He grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it. He then thought about Caitlin and what Meredith had said about him going dark. He emptied his glass in the sink then took the bottle and did the same. He opened up the garbage can and tried to push the bottle in it but it was nearly full. He cursed as he took the garbage bag out and closed it. He headed outside to the collective dumpster. As he got closer to it, he heard things fall to the ground. He cursed again as he looked down and realized that the bag had tore on the side due to the pieces of the mirror that had cut it open. He grabbed the bag with two hands and threw it in the dumpster and headed back to pick up the pieces.

"You dropped this", said a woman's voice. He looked up to find a young woman in her twenties with a packaging in one hand and a garbage bag in the other.

"Probably", he said as he stood up.

"Well, it's not mine and I saw it fall out of your garbage bag".

He took the box with his free hand. "Thanks". He picked up a few more things as she got rid of her garbage bag and headed back from where she came.

He emptied what he had in his left hand and then looked at the package. His eyes widened upon seeing it. He opened it and took out its content and looked at it. He felt a rush of disbelief, then came a hint of anxiety to finally leave a feeling of overjoy as he read the digital screen that said:

Pregnant 3+

It didn't matter that they had never talked about it. He didn't care how it had happened. All that mattered was that she was carrying his child, their child. Caitlin was pregnant!


	23. My biggest mistake was saying I love you

On the ride back, in the Academy bus, from the off-site training, Caitlin dozed off. She was exhausted. The two days of training on top of everything that had happened just before had drained her massively. She woke up gently when the bus came to a halt and the doors opened, she looked at her watch; it was half-past six. She gathered her things and waited for the recruits to empty the bus and followed.

She talked shortly with the other instructors on the parking lot before wishing them a nice weekend. The bus started to leave revealing her car that had been hidden behind it. Leaning against the side of it's hood was Alvin. He was wearing a pair of black jeans, a white button-down shirt, black dress shoes and a light grey beanie. His mustache had been groomed and his hair cut just a tad shorter. Regardless of the past events, her heart skipped a beat as she saw him. He looked so elegant and sexy. In all honesty, she had to try really hard to refrain from smiling at him.

She walked over slowly and dropped her bags in front of the car.

Without hesitation, he took a step towards her. He had said he would fight to make things right, to get her back and that's what he was going to do. Aside from looking really tired, she looked more beautiful than ever. Her hair was up in a messy bun, revealing her beautiful face and enhancing her deep chocolate brown almond-shaped eyes. She was wearing a pair of black jeans, an off the shoulder loose white top and black boots.

"God, you're beautiful", he said as he lovingly looked at her.

"Al…".

"Before you say anything else, I want you to know that I was a jerk. And not just to you but about everything. You had every reason to be hurt and mad and to walk out on me. I'm sorry and I'd like to take you out to dinner".

Her eyes searched his. She wasn't sure what she was looking for in them. She saw a mix of emotions go through them as he looked at her. Love, regret, hope, fear and a hint of desperation.

"Please". He said gently.

"Ok", she said softly.

He smiled relieved. She watched as he grabbed her bags and put them in the trunk. He then opened the passenger door for her. Once she was settled in the car, he closed it and went around.

"How was the training", he asked as they headed down the Chicago streets, towards the West Loop.

"Good but tiring".

"I'm sure it was. Hopefully, you'll be able to rest a little bit this weekend".

They pulled up in front of Vivo and he turned off the ignition.

"Don't move", he said to her as he opened his door.

She smiled. It almost felt like a date. A date that they had never had and it felt nice.

He opened her door and helped her out of the car.

"Good Evening. Welcome to Vivo. A table for two"? asked the hostess.

"Reservation is under the name Olinsky", said Al.

The hostess looked up at him and smiled. "Of course Mr. Olinsky, right this way please".

They both followed the hostess through the main dining room and go up a flight of stairs. In a corner was a table for two in what seemed to be an old elevator shaft. It was draped with heavy curtains and surrounded by brick walls.

He pulled Caitlin's chair out for her and then sat across from her.

"You're waiter will be here shortly", said the hostess. "Have a lovely evening".

"Thank you", said Caitlin.

After she had left their side, there was an awkward silence and it made Cat uncomfortable.

"This place is lovely Al".

"Yes it is".

She was touched by what he was doing. This was definitely not the kind of restaurant he was used to, she knew that he was entirely in his element and that he was making a huge effort.

"I owe you an explanation", he said. "I said some very horrible things the other night, things I didn't mean". He paused for a moment. "I should never have implied that you couldn't understand my reaction because you had been married less time than I had. We both suffered from what happened to our marriages and I should never have undermined that. You asked me the other night, if I still loved Meredith and had you actually let me answer that question, I would have told you that I don't. Not like you think I do. I have a lot of respect for her and love her like a friend because of our past together, just like you will always love Antonio in some way and I understand and accept that, I wouldn't want you to feel any differently. But, I don't love her, not the way I love you".

Caitlin took in all that he said and she could feel her entire body shake from the inside.

"My biggest mistake was saying I love you, but never telling you how I love you. I love you like I have never loved anyone in my entire life. I'm in love with your laugh and smile and the dimples that go with it. I love the way, you look at me when you're mad or in love. The thought of being away from you, leaves me empty and without air. I love you now and I'll love you for years more. It's not something I can fight, it's not something I want to fight"!

The waiter arrived with their menus. Al kept his furtive and pleading eyes on Cat. "We're not ready", he said bluntly. The waiter frowned and left.

"Caitlin, let me love you, let me make you happy. Come home to me, please".

"Yes". She knew it wasn't a marriage proposal, even if it did sound as if it could be and it would have been a beautiful one, but that was all she could say. Yes to coming home, yes to his love.

He smiled, stood and walked over to her chair. She rose to her feet and he took her into his arms. He held her for a moment against his chest and when she pulled back and looked up at him with the love he had mentioned, he knew his heart had found it's home. He kissed her tenderly but after two days of being apart, she very quickly took over the situation and increased the intensity of her kiss to passion, desire, need. Caught in the moment, and forgetting where they were, he moved and pushed her against the wall. Her hands pulled him in closer as she felt how much he wanted her.

"I take it you're still not ready", grumbled the waiter, a bit taken aback by their making out.

Al pulled away from her, against his will and looked at the waiter. "Not only are we not ready, but we're not staying"!

He grabbed Cat's hand and lead her downstairs.

"Charge it to my credit card", he said without stopping as they passed the hostess' desk.

Alvin caressed her bare lower back a she slept. Their lovemaking had been amazing. He smiled thinking their was some sort of truth about makeup sex but in all honesty every time they had sex, it was amazing. It was mid-morning and he was starting to feel hungry. He slipped out of bed, put on some clothes and headed into the kitchen.

Caitlin woke up fifteen minutes later to soft music and the smell of pancakes. She put on a pair of underwear and grabbed his white button-down shirt from the floor and passed it on, only closing a few of the buttons.

She felt a wave of nausea hit her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When it had passed, she walked over to the kitchen. She came up behind him and put her arms around him. He grabbed her hand and kissed it before turning around.

"Morning beautiful". He kissed her. "Are you hungry"?

"I'm starving", she said.

He put the last pancake on the plate and put the plate down on the counter. He headed to the fridge to get the jam and maple syrup.

"Al"?

"Yeah babe"?

"There's something I need to tell you".

He put the jar down and looked at her. He knew what it was. He hadn't mentioned it last night, because he didn't want her to think that it had been the only reason for him to ask her to come home and fix things. And he figured that until he heard it from her, it didn't count.

"Sure. What is it"?

She took a deep breath and jumped of the ledge into the void.

"I know we never talked about it and I don't know how you're going to react or how you're going to feel about it when I tell you".

He took a serious facial expression. "Cat? You're scaring me. What's wrong"?

"I'm pregnant"!

The initial anxiety he had felt when he had come across the pregnancy test vanished, leaving only happiness and a feeling of being blessed.

"Al"?

He moved in closer to her and suddenly tears welled up in his eyes. He had lost Lexi and even though no child would ever replace her, Caitlin had just given him the most beautiful present any woman could give the man she loves. He was going to be a father again.

"You have no idea how happy this makes me. I want you to know that these are tears of happiness". He picked her up and sat her down in front of him on the kitchen counter. He took her face in his hands and kissed her.

He then smiled. "We're having a baby".

"Yes", she said smiling back, all her worries vanished. Maybe Connor had been right, sometimes you just have to jump and things turn out better than fine. "We're having a baby"!


	24. Relax Doc!

_**Four weeks later**_

When Dr. Baxter looked at his scheduled, he lifted an eyebrow. Caitlin Voight was his next patient. They knew each other well. He had been around for many years and had taken care of her during her two miscarriages. Being an obstetrician, he knew that the most probable reason for her coming, was that she was pregnant or trying to at least. He wondered who the lucky guy was.

He opened the door of his office and called out her name. Needless to say, he was surprised to see Caitlin and Alvin walk inside his office. Whereas everyone, they had encountered so far at the hospital, had not been surprised due to the article picture that had circulated months before, Baxter was one of those people who never read the newspaper or watched TV.

He shook Caitlin's hand. "Caitlin, how good to see you". He then shook Alvin's hand. "Good to see you too Alvin". He knew that she and Al were close. A year ago, Alvin had been the one to bring Caitlin in when she had miscarried.

He opened up Caitlin's file on his computer that revealed her blood test results and a very good hCG level.

"Well, looks like congratulations are in order", he said as he looked at her. "Based on the date of your last menstruation, your levels look good". He rose and pointed towards the examination table. "Let's get you checked out. I'll do a pelvic exam and then an ultrasound. You're 8 weeks along so we won't see much with an external one so we'll do a transvaginal ultrasound".

Both Caitlin and Al stood. She headed for the changing screen to pass on the hospital gown.

Baxter looked at Al. "You might want to wait outside".

"Why"?

"Well", said Baxter in a matter of fact way, "it could be a bit awkward".

Caitlin came out from behind the screen.

"I don't see why. I've seen her naked before", said Alvin flat out.

Baxter looked at Alvin, then Caitlin and then back at Alvin as he blinked a couple of times. Alvin finally realized what was going on.

He put a hand on Baxter's shoulder. "Relax Doc, I'm the father"!

Baxter snapped out of his state of confusion. "Oh, well that changes everything. Congratulations"!

They both joined Caitlin who had settled on the examination table. She didn't need for Baxter to tell her what to do. Being her third pregnancy, she knew the drill. All stood next to her as he examined her. He stepped back and removed his gloves. "Perfect, a high, hard and closed cervix, as it should be".

He took the ultrasound probe and prepared it. "So, are you ready to see your baby"?

Both nodded and Alvin took Caitlin's hand in his. Within seconds Baxter pointed to the screen. "There he is and that flickering right there is his heart". Alvin squeezed Caitlin's hand tighter. She looked up at him and realized his eyes were watery. Baxter took a few measurements. "Everything looks great. I'll just check the position of the placenta and then we'll be done".

"Well, well, what do we have here"? blurted out Baxter.

Both Alvin and Caitlin turned their attention back to the screen. Alvin panicked.

"What's wrong"?

Baxter smiled. "Nothing's wrong. But looks to me like your baby has a roommate"!

"What"?

Baxter zoomed out the screen settings. "Take a look for yourselves"!

Caitlin and Al looked at the screen and at a short distance from one another, were two sacs and heartbeats. She said nothing as Al looked at Baxter. "Are you saying that…", he paused mid-sentence.

"Yes Al, you're having twins"! confirmed Baxter with a huge smile on his face.

Even if she was already emotional about carrying Alvin's child, her emotions went up a notch. She looked at Al as tears went down her face. He smiled, leaned over and kissed her. "I love you so much"!

It was a little after lunch when Al dropped Caitlin back at the Academy. They had left the hospital feeling blessed and happy and a picture of the Olinsky twins! They had smiled, laughed and talked about it and their future the entire ride over. He had kissed her and returned to the District.

He spent the next fifteen minutes at his desk in a good mood and dreamy state. He envisioned their future together. Their future as two and as four and he loved what he saw.

Hank hastened out of his office. "Ok, listen up, we've got ourselves a situation".

"What's up boss"? asked Kevin.

"The call just came in. There's a hostage situation over at the Academy"! Al sprung to his feet.

"SWAT is on their way and we've been tasked with helping them out on the field with this situation. So gear up fast and let's go".

As they headed downstairs, Alvin looked at Hank. "Caitlin's there. I dropped her off a half an hour ago"!

Hank nodded and put a hand on Al's shoulder. "Don't worry, she'll be fine. If there's one cop in there I'm not worried about, it's her".

As he tried to call her cellphone and couldn't get through to her, he only prayed and hoped that Hank was right!


	25. Don't believe a word I say!

When they arrived on scene, the place was packed with Patrol Cars, Officers and the SWAT truck. They noticed the Ops tent on the other side of the parking lot and headed towards it.

"Have you seen Caitlin Voight"? asked Hank to one of the patrol officers.

"No, sorry".

Al stopped another one on the walk over. "Have you seen Caitlin Voight"?

"Who"?

"Never mind", he said as he grabbed his mobile phone again. She still wasn't picking up.

Hank met up with the head of the SWAT team just outside the tent. "We just got here and are still trying to assess the situation and get live feeds from the cameras inside".

"So, we have no visual for the time being"?

"Not yet but we will soon".

"Where do you want us"? asked Hank.

"We could use your help in gathering information once we know who, what, where and why? We've already got someone helping us coordinate".

Al stopped another cop as they headed in the tent. "Have you seen Caitlin Voight"?

Hank nudged him. "Al".

Alvin looked at him. Hank pointed towards the center of operations, where apparently someone was already taking things in charge. Alvin let out a huge sigh of relief.

Caitlin turned around as he was walking up to her.

He looked at her from head to toe. "Are you alright"?

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was entering the building when some recruits came rushing out".

"What's going on"? asked Hank.

"We're not sure yet. Apparently some recruits saw another recruit enter one of the big classrooms with a gun".

"Do we know how many recruits were in that room"? asked Hank.

"About thirty along with two instructors".

"Do we know who it is"? asked Jay.

"No, not yet. Some of the recruits that made it out, gave a description but it's not enough to help us narrow it down to one potential suspect", said Caitlin.

Alvin pulled her aside. "I was worried as hell! Why didn't you pick up your phone"?

"I left it in your car. After I realize what was happening, I secured the ones that got out. Matthews called the SWAT and I told them to call you in".

"Feed is up", said one of the tech guys. Caitlin walked over to the screen and looked at it.

"Do you know him"? asked the SWAT leader.

She nodded. "Yes, that's Andrew Cox". She looked at the screen in disbelief. "He's in all my classes. I don't understand".

Caitlin got up and headed towards a free computer that had been linked to the Academy server. She pulled up his records and scrolled through it for some time as Al joined her. The others were getting all the gear and material out of the car.

"Promise me you're alright"? he asked.

"I'm fine babe really. I promise".

"You could have let someone else take the lead on the operation".

She looked around. "Are you kidding? They all froze when they found out what was happening. Someone had to be in charge".

She turned her attention back to the screen as Al kept his hand on her shoulder.

"That's not possible", she said suddenly.

Hank, the SWAT and the rest of the team circled her. "What is it"?

She shook her head in disbelief. "I have his psych eval right here. He's suffering from insomnia, depression and impulsive behavior. He's under antidepressants and antianxiolytics. He should never have been able to get into the Academy"!

"Then what is he doing here"? asked Jay.

"That is what I'd like to know", said Caitlin standing.

"You and me both", said Hank.

He turned his attention to the team. "OK. Let's see what we can get on this Andrew Cox and fast"!

Alvin grabbed Caitlin's hand. "Would you please take a break? The team's got this for the moment".

"Hey Kev"?

Kevin turned around. "Yeah"?

"Find me a link to Cox and his psychiatric past. I need to know what happened".

"Won't be able to get any patient info from his doctor. Doctor/patient confidentiality".

"I know, check the web, news articles and let me know if you find something".

He nodded.

She turned to Alvin. "Ok. I'll take that break but only for a few minutes".

After a ten minute break outside Caitlin went back into the tent. She headed for the screen and looked at what was happening. Andrew had grouped the students and instructors into the corner of the room and was pacing the floor with his gun pointed at them.

Adam stood up. "I've got something. Andrew Cox is none other than Senator Jonathan Cox's son".

"Well, that explains how he got into the Academy", said Hank.

"He must have pulled some strings. What the hell was he thinking"? said Alvin.

Kevin walked over to Caitlin who had been listening. "I think I found something".

"What do you have"?

"A year ago, Andrew's girlfriend was killed in a drive-by shooting out near Lincoln Park, she was 20".

Caitlin took the article and read it. That would have been enough for someone to down spiral into a depression and all that it entailed.

"Nice work Kev".

The SWAT leader came over. "We're unable to make contact with Cox".

"That's normal. We don't allow cellphones during class or training", said Caitlin.

"What are our entry points"?

Caitlin walked over to the blueprints of the Academy that were displayed on a table.

"There's only one way in or out of that classroom and there's only one window".

"Going through the door is too risky. But, if we can get him in front of the window, we can take him down without compromising the hostages".

She closed her eyes. Why did it have to end that way?

"Let me talk to him. Let me go in", she said. Al was on the other side of the room and lifted his head up when he heard her. He hadn't been the only one, Hank had heard her as well.

"Over my dead body", said Al joining them.

"I second that motion", said Hank.

"Look, the way I see it, we've got hostages and a kid who's hurting and on the verge of making a huge mistake. I won't let anybody get hurt or killed. Not the hostages and not him. So unless you have another idea, I'm going in".

Hank looked at the SWAT leader. "Do we have any other options"?

He shook his head. "Not one that I can guarantee the safety of all the hostages".

"What makes you think you'll be able to talk some sense into him"? asked Hank as he looked at Caitlin.

She looked at Alvin. "Because, I know what it's like to lose someone you love".

"I'm not letting you go in there. I'll go", he said.

"Al, he doesn't know you, he won't trust you".

"How do you plan on going in"? asked Hank.

She looked at her watch. "Very simply. I'm supposed to start a class in there in fifteen minutes. I could have been on the other side of the building in my office and not know what's going on".

"Ok, then. Let's get you geared up", said Hank.

"You can't be serious", said Alvin as he stared Hank down.

"We don't have a lot of options right now. This may be our best…our only shot".

"So, you're sending her in the lion's den"?

"Alvin, I get that you're concerned but she's a good and a damn good one. You know that".

Adam arrived with a bullet-proof vest. Caitlin shook her head.

"No, vest. He'll see right through it, if I walk in there like that. Remember, I'm stumbling in there without a clue as to what's happening. Just give me an earpiece and a microphone wire".

He returned with what she asked for and was about to start putting it when Al walked over with raised eyebrows.

Adam looked at him. "Right, I'll let you do that", and gave Al the microphone wire and earpiece.

Alvin looked at her ask he hooked her up in a discreet corner of the tent. "Baby, come on. You don't need to do this. You're not alone anymore. Let me go in".

"I can't let you go in. I already lost Antonio, I'm not about to lose you too. And I know he won't hurt me".

When everything was in place, she made sure her hair hid the earpiece.

The SWAT leader looked at Caitlin. "My team will be ready to retrieve the hostages and I'll have my best shooter to secure you from the window".

Hank bit his lip. "Jay, go with him".

"Sergeant Voight, that won't be necessary. My shooter is more than qualified".

"I don't doubt that, I'm sending in one of my own and by that I mean my own flesh and blood. You trust you guy that's fine, but I trust mine more than yours when it comes to her life".

"Fine".

Hank took Jay aside. "If he just as much shows signs of shooting before she's had a chance to talk to him, you do what you need to do".

Jay nodded. He walked past Caitlin. "Don't worry, I've got your back".

Caitlin walked into the building with her various folders and binders. She decided to test the mic. "Are we clear"?

"All's good", said Hank.

"Al"?

"Yeah baby"?

"Don't believe a word I say. You got that"?

He looked at Hank but said nothing.

"Al? Do you understand? No matter what I say in there, I love you".

"I know. I love you too. Be careful".

Hank put his hand on Alvin's shoulder. They both knew what she meant.


	26. Never do that again!

Caitlin took a deep breath as she took the doorknob in her hand. She opened the door and wandered in pretending to be reading a document.

"Stop"!

She lifted her head up and looked at Andrew puzzled than at the hostages.

"Oh God, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were in a role-playing exercise. I'm a bit early. Please proceed. I'll wait outside".

The SWAT leader sneered. "What the hell is she doing"?

Alvin turned around and gave him a dirty look. "She's downplaying the seriousness of the situation to make him feel more relaxed and at the same time still feel in control. It's an undercover classic".

"Yeah, whatever".

Alvin stood. "She's one of the best undercover cops you'll find in Chicago, so don't you dare underestimate her". Hank stood and held Alvin back.

"Just let it go Al".

"I'm sorry, I can't let you do that", said Andrew, as he perpetually shifted the gun from her to the group of hostages. "Sit down"!

She cocked her head to the side. "Andrew, what are you doing"?

"You wouldn't understand. I just want them to suffer"!

"Has one of them hurt you in any way"?

"No"!

"Then who hurt you? I mean if you want to make them suffer, it's got to be because someone hurt you".

"You won't understand".

"Well, I'm here. You might as well give it a shot. Try me".

Seeing he wouldn't talk, Caitlin switched plans. "Is it because of Rebecca"?

Hank nodded. "That's it Cat, get him talking".

Andrew looked at Caitlin surprised. "How do you know about Rebecca"?

"What, you think I don't have access or read my recruit's files"?

"You're bluffing", yelled out Andrew.

"Rebecca Stein, 20 years old. Art major at the University of Chicago. Died a year ago, victim of a drive-by shooting near Lincoln Park late one night as she was heading home from class. You were engaged to be married. You had set the date and let me guess, it was supposed to be tomorrow. You still think I'm bluffing"?

Adam looked at Hank and Alvin. "How does she do that"?

Hank looked at him. "It's a Voight thing".

"That doesn't change anything. You still can't understand".

"Understand what? The pain you feel? The anger? That you're entire world has fallen apart? Oh trust me Andrew, I know how that feels".

"Oh yeah"?

"Yeah. I do. You think you're the only one who's lost someone they love to this cruel world we live in"?

"So, who'd you lose Instructor"?

"My husband. He was abducted by a gang. They kept him for months and beat him to death".

Andrew paced the floor. "I don't believe you"!

"Look it up on the net. Instructor Barnes has his mobile phone".

Andrew walked over to Barnes and took his phone.

"Search Detective Antonio Dawson".

Andrew typed in the words in the search engine and very quickly results popped up. He clicked on an article about his death and read it. He also saw a picture of Caitlin and Antonio together on their wedding day.

"It hurts doesn't it? It hurts bad. Like you can't breathe. You feel alone because no one understands how you feel".

He nodded.

"And that's why we want to hurt others, so that others will know what it's like to suffer like we do".

He thrust his gun towards the group of hostage. "I can't be the one to suffer alone anymore".

Caitlin stood and walked slowly over to him. She placed herself between the gun and the hostages.

Alvin stood. What the hell was she doing? "Get her out of there Hank"!

"Wait", said Hank. "Give her a minute".

"She'll be dead in a minute! Get her the fuck out of there"!

"I can't get her out of there and you know it. You're going to have to trust her"!

"Andrew, you don't have to do this. If you do this, you're not any better than those who shot Rebecca".

"I just want it to stop hurting"! he yelled out

"I know, but if you hurt someone today, it won't make the pain go away".

"It's too late. I'm sure that the SWAT is already here".

"It's not too late Andrew. You can still change the way this is going to turn out".

He looked at her. "How was it? For you when you lost him"?

Caitlin closed her eyes for a second. "Terrible. I was angry and sad. I was mad at everyone. I went off the deep end. I left Chicago without telling anyone. I did some really bad things".

"What kind of things"?

She motioned to the group behind her to leave.

Andrew turned his attention to the group that was slowly heading for the door.

"Andrew? Look at me. You don't need them. Just keep your focus on me. I did a lot of stupid things. I drank a lot, tried drugs, slept around with a different guy every chance I had. I even tried to kill myself".

Hank looked at Alvin. Caitlin was so good at her job, it was hard to know what was true and what wasn't.

"I loved him with all my heart. I would have taken his place in a heartbeat. I would have sacrificed my life, if it meant that he would live. I vowed myself never to love anyone again".

"I wish she were still here", said Andrew with tears in his eyes.

"Yeah, I know. Not a day goes by where I didn't wish that I could see him again. I'd give anything for that to happen. But you and I know it's not possible".

The SWAT retrieved the last of the hostages from outside of the classroom. "Hostages are clear", she heard in the earpiece.

She put her hand out to him. "Andrew, give me the gun. Let's walk out of here together and let me help you".

He took a couple steps back and came in view of the window.

"I've got a visual on the suspect", said the SWAT shooter in his microphone.

"Take him down", said the SWAT leader.

Hank jumped in. "The hostages are safe. He is not a threat anymore. Tell your guy to stand down".

Caitlin hear faintly what was going on in the tent through the earpiece. She took a few steps closer to Andrew, putting herself in front of the window as well.

"Caitlin, I don't know what you're doing, but you've got to act fast", said Jay.

Andrew put the gun to his head. "This is the only solution".

"Don't do it Andrew. Rebecca wouldn't want you to end things this way. Why do you think I came back to Chicago? That I became an Instructor at the Academy? Because, it does get better and easier with time. Think of Rebecca. I didn't know her but I know that Antonio would never have wanted me to miss out on life because of what happened to him. I owe him that much than to move on, because I am alive and I know that's what he would want".

"Move on? How am I supposed to move on"?

"A step at a time, a day at a time. I can't tell you how long it will take but you will get there. Things will never be the same, they'll be different and you know what, different is OK, it's good and that's how you'll keep her memory alive, by doing what she will never be able to do".

"Have you moved on"?

Caitlin smiled. "Yes, I have. I've returned to Chicago and to the CPD. I've met an amazing man, who loves me and respects me, who I'm sure that right now is worried sick about me and would take my place in no time, and who I can't imagine spending the rest of my life without".

Hank looked at Alvin and smiled.

"My life is ruined. I'll never be a cop now".

"Don't say that. You've hurt no one. All you need to do is walk out of here with me and get some help. When you're better and you are ready to take those first steps, you'll come back and graduate from the Academy and you'll be able to keep criminals, like those who took Rebecca away from you, off the streets".

"Let's walk out of here together".

She turned around and headed for the door. "Whatever you do, don't shoot"! she whispered firmly in the microphone.

"Suspect is alone, waiting for your order to take him down", said the SWAT shooter. Jay looked at him. "She told you not to shoot"!

"I don't take orders from her"!

"Hold your fire", she said again firmly in the mic.

Hank looked at the SWAT leader. "Tell you're guy to hold fire".

"If he steps away from that window, it's over, we won't have another shot".

"That kid is hanging on to the only bit of hope that my niece is giving him right now. I need you to trust her. She knows what she's doing"!

"Hold fire", said the SWAT leader to his shooter.

She turned and put her hand out. "Just give me the gun and let's walk out of here".

He looked at her pain stricken. "I know it doesn't seem like it now, but I promise you, you will get through this. Just give me the gun".

Andrew slowly moved his armed hand towards hers. Her eyes grew wide as she realized that the safety was off.

"That's it, nice and slow". He placed the gun in her hand and she put the safety lock back on. She put it behind her back inside her jeans. She put her hand on Andrew and walked out of the classroom. The SWAT watched from the hallway as she took him towards the main entrance.

When they reached outside, Hank, Alvin and the rest of the team were waiting for them, along with other cops. Two cops took Andrew and handcuffed him. He looked at her.

"Thank you".

"You take care of yourself", she answered.

They took him away to the first available police car as she joined the team.

"You can be proud of yourself. We get to finish the day with no casualties".

Jay came running up to them.

"Thanks Jay for having my back up there".

"And all of you in here".

Alvin took her into his arms. "Never. Never do that again"!

"Promise". She looked into his eyes.

"What is it"?

"I lied to him. You and I both know he'll never be a cop, not with his history and not with this".

"I know it's hard, but you lied to him for his own good. I'm sure someday, he'll understand and be grateful that you did".

As they put all the stuff away, a man in a suit walked into the tent.

"Where's my son"?!

Hank walked up to him with a stern look on his face. "Senator Cox, I presume".

"Where's my son"?!

"He's over at Med for psychiatric evaluation".

"You have no right! I'll make sure your career is over".

Caitlin jumped in before Hank could say anything.

"And you had no right pulling strings to get your son into the Academy with the psychological and psychiatric issues he was having. You not only put your son at risk, but the entire Academy. I don't know whose ass you kissed to get him in, but I swear to you, that if you even as much try to touch the careers any of us here today, I will make it my only job to find out who it was and ruin your career"!

"And who the hell are you"? he asked.

"Voight. You want me to spell it for you? By the way, just so we're clear. I'm the only reason your son is still alive"!

He looked at her.

"Now do your son a favor and get him the help and attention he needs, instead of threatening us".

Cox said nothing but turned heels and headed out of the tent.

As Alvin and Caitlin laid down in bed, Alvin placed his head over her belly. "Your mom kicked ass today"! He lifted his head and placed his hand on her belly.

Caitlin smiled as she watched him. "Al, of all the things I said in there…"

He cut her off. "Yeah, I know you told me not to believe a single word of it".

"Well, that's the thing. When I said that I had met an amazing man who I couldn't imagine spending the rest of my life without… I was telling the truth"!

He smiled at her. "Are you proposing? Cause if you are it sucks".

"No. I'm not proposing. But I guess what I'm saying is that when you're ready, I'll be ready".


	27. You'll get used to it

_**Two weeks later:**_

Caitlin went around the different CPD Units to see how the recruits were doing. It was the first of many waves but from what she was seeing and hearing, not only were the recruits thrilled at the opportunity they were having but also the different Units themselves. She walked into the Vice Unit to see Sam Flanigan and Katie Adams.

"How are things going"? she asked as they grabbed drinks in the kitchen.

"Loving every minute of it", said Katie. "This was the only unit I wanted to spend time with and I don't regret it. The more time I spend with them the more certain I am, that this is where I want to be".

"That's great Katie. It's always good to be able to set yourself an objective. You'll most probably need to patrol for a while but it'll make it easier on you if you know it's to join this unit afterwards".

She looked at Sam. He seemed lost in his thoughts as he looked at her waist.

"Sam"? she said quietly.

"Yes"?

"How about you? How do you find Vice"?

He shrugged. "It's interesting, but I can't say that I am as motivated as Katie".

"That's alright. You still have Gang tomorrow and Intelligence next week. And don't worry, even if either of those don't spark any interest, you can always decide much later on. Just keep an open mind".

"Of course. I appreciate your support and encouragements. You've always been very supportive".

 _ **A week later:**_

Caitlin walked in with Sam into District 21. He was the only that day that had signed up to meet up with Intelligence. She stopped by Trudy's desk.

"Sergeant Platt, I'd like you to meet recruit Sam Flanigan, he's spending the day with Hank's team".

"Nice to meet you", said Trudy.

"She's the desk sergeant here at District 21, she runs the place like a tight ship. If you need anything while you're here today, don't hesitate to let her know".

"Think you can buzz us up"?

"Of course.

Caitlin laughed and brought Sam over to the cage door as they waited for Trudy to open it up from her desk.

"Wow, this place is very secured", noticed Sam out loud.

"Yes. Now remember, you signed a confidentiality clause, so whatever you come across today needs to stay that way".

"Understood".

They arrived upstairs and Caitlin saw that Hank was in his office with Crowley. She frowned. She really didn't like that woman. The team gathered around them.

"Guys, this is Sam Flanigan. Sam this is Adam Ruzek, Kim Burgess, Jay Halstead, Hailey Upton, Kevin Atwater and Alvin Olinsky".

He shook their hands individually.

"Hank's busy, so we'll let him finish, then I'll introduce you".

Al looked at her. "You want some tea"?

"Great idea", she said. She turned to Sam and Adam. "Adam, maybe you can show Sam around"?

"Sure, right this way", he said showing Sam towards the interrogation rooms.

Al handed Cat her cup. "He seems like a good kid".

"He is. He's really determined and enthusiastic about what he does and I think he has a thing for this Unit".

Alvin took the cup from her and put it down on the table and took her in his arms to kiss her. He was crazy about her. He couldn't get enough of her and the fact that her body was changing didn't stop that in anyway.

"This is the kitchen", said Adam showing Sam. "We generally grab a coffee or tea here, unless you're like Alvin and Caitlin and can't keep your hands off of each other".

Alvin pulled away and looked at Adam. "Instead of mocking me, you should be following my example"!

Cat pulled away from Alvin, grabbed her cup and headed out of the kitchen just as Commander Crowley exited Hank's office.

"Hello Commander".

"Officer Voight. It's a pleasure to see you. I've been hearing a lot of good things from your fellow instructors and the Chief. Keep up the good work".

"Well thank you Mam. I will".

Crowley left and Caitlin looked at Hank. "She's in a good mood".

"Let's hope it stays that way", said Hank. He Then turned his attention to the young man next to Caitlin.

"Sam, this is Sergeant Hank Voight. Sergeant, this is Sam Flanigan one of our recruits".

"Welcome to Intelligence, it's a pleasure to see how the new recruits are showing interest in our Unit", said Hank as he shook his hand.

"Thank you Sergeant. I'm looking forward to it".

"Good. You'll be pairing up with a few of us today, to see what it is we do here. However, if we need to go out on the field, you'll be with me, for safety reasons".

Sam lifted an eyebrow out of interest. Now that, was definitely the icing on the cake. He would hopefully get that moment alone with Voight and that would be his chance!

Mid-afternoon the team got called out on a case and Sam followed Voight like his shadow. It was clear that he was tough, both with his team but also with suspects. But he wasn't scared of him. When they had finished, Hank told the team to take the two suspects in their cars and bring them over to the District. He drove off with Sam in his car. Halfway to the District, Sam looked at Hank.

"I'm not feeling too good. Can we pull over for a minute"?

Hank nodded and pulled the car over, letting Sam out. Sam walked a couple of feet away and hoped that if he staid long enough, Hank would come and check up on him.

After a few minutes, Hank did just that. He put his hand over Sam's shoulder and bent over to see how he was doing. "Ah don't worry, you'll get used to it. We all have a hard time when we start".

In a swift move that Hank didn't see coming, Sam unlatched Hank's gun and took it from it's holster. He pointed the gun at him.

"I thought this day would never come".

"Kid, you're messing with the wrong guy", said Hank.

"Get in the car and drive"!

Hank followed his instructions. When they were in the car, Sam broke the radio and took Hank's phone and talkie-walkie. He then told Hank where to drive to.

When they got to their destination, he tied Hank up to a chair.


	28. I'll be damned!

Jay and Kevin paced the floor in front of the cage. "Where's Hank"?

"I don't know dog, maybe he showed that kid around a bit".

"Yeah but it's been hours. It's not like him to keep us out in the dark like this".

Alvin walked down. "Still no Hank"?

Jay shook his head.

"I'll give him a call maybe he brought Flanigan back to the Academy and is chatting with Caitlin".

He dialed Hank's number but got no answer.

Caitlin was at her desk when her phone rang. It was Hank. Seeing how late it was getting, she was more than certain that he was calling to give her an update on how Sam had done.

"Hey you. How'd it go"?

"Hello, Hank wishes he could talk to you right now but he's a little tied up".

"Sam"? said Caitlin as she recognized his voice. "Let me talk to Hank".

"That's not going to be possible".

She stood upon hearing his voice change. "Sam, what have you done"?

"Hank and I have some unfinished business".

"Where are you? We can work this out, I'm sure there's a way".

"All in due time Caitlin. I hope you don't mind my calling you Caitlin"?

She didn't respond.

"First of all, no outside communications on your behalf, otherwise the game is over. I need $100,000. When that's done, let me know and I'll give you the location where you can meet us".

With that he hung up and looked at Hank. "The party is just starting"!

Caitlin grabbed her keys and headed to Hank's house. She didn't have that kind of money but she knew he did. She grabbed the hidden spare key and let herself into the house. She went into the basement, removed the shelves and entered the code. She hoped that Hank hadn't changed it. It opened immediately. She gave a sigh of relief as she took the duffle bag she had taken with her and started to put the money in it as she counted.

When she was done, as she entered the kitchen, she called Hank's phone back. "I've got your money. Where do you want to meet"?

"Janesville. I'll text you the address when we hang up".

"That's in Wisconsin! It's a two-hour drive".

"Sorry, I couldn't let anyone bother us. Hurry because for every fifteen minutes you are over the two-hour drive, Hank is not going to like what I'm going to do to him"!

"Don't hurt him, please".

"Clock's ticking Caitlin. Be on time"!

As she got in her car, her mobile rang, it was Alvin. "Hey babe", she said as naturally as possible.

"Hey, have you seen or heard from Hank"?

"No why"?

"He didn't come back from the field. He was with that Flanigan kid. Did you see him"?

"Yes. I saw him at the Academy. I guess Hank must have dropped him off then went and done something".

"Without telling us"?

"You know Hank".

"Where are you"?

"I've got a few errands to run then a late meeting at the Academy. I don't know when I'll be home. Don't wait up for me, OK".

"OK. Take it easy".

"I will".

The minute she hung up, it rang again.

"I thought I said no communications"!

"Look, if I didn't pick up he would have kept calling and gotten suspicious. I don't want anyone to get hurt Sam".

Alvin and the rest of the team pulled up at Hank's house. His car wasn't there. Al took the spare key and opened the house. They entered slowly, guns ready. They cleared the ground floor and upstairs room very quickly.

"Down here", yelled Jay.

They all rushed down. Caitlin had not put back the shelves. They looked at the safe and in the dust on the floor.

"Someone's been here", said Adam.

Alvin nodded. "Too small to be Hank's footprints".

"The safe has not been forced so whoever opened it, knew the combination".

Kevin looked at Alvin. "Who knows the combination to this safe"?

"Aside from Hank, most probably no one", said Jay.

Alvin stared at the safe and started to worry. "Caitlin knows the combination and from the look of those footprints, I'd say it's her size"!

"But what would Caitlin be doing here and in his safe"?

"That's a good question".

Al tried calling Caitlin again.

She looked at her phone as it rang. She closed her eyes briefly and shook her head.

He quickly dialed the Academy as he headed back upstairs. Minutes later, he hung up as the rest of the team joined him.

"Something's wrong. There's no meeting tonight and someone saw Caitlin leave the Academy in a hurry. And Flanigan never came back and is unaccounted for".

"Why would Caitlin lie about all of that"? asked Adam.

Kim looked at them. "Ok, let's take a step back and evaluate what we know. Hank and Flanigan were supposed to drive back together, but neither one of them made it. We got no distress call from Hank and he's not picking up his phone. Caitlin made a great cover up story, came here and opened up Hank's safe. Most probably for money and now she's not picking up her phone".

Jay looked at her. "So what are we missing"?

"Well if she came for money then there aren't too many reasons behind it, maybe a ransom? For Hank and Flanigan? And maybe she can't talk"!

Alvin shook his head. If he had thought that her getting strangled was terrible, then this was his worst possible nightmare. Caitlin had gone alone to potentially save Hank and that kid.

He shook his head. "No, she's smart, she'd find another way to tell me where she is. I know her".

"We've looked everywhere and there's nothing here Al", said Adam. "There's no note, nothing".

"There's got to be"!

"But there isn't"! yelled Adam. As much as he wanted to help them out, it was obvious that they were out of luck.

"What about geolocating her phone"? said Kevin.

"We can't", said Jay. "We'd need a warrant for that".

"Kevin, call tech and see what they can find".

"Alvin, we can't do that", said Jay again.

"I don't give a rat's ass about a warrant. I have probable cause that she's in danger and that's enough"!

Kevin called the tech guys as Alvin paced the floor and kept trying to call Caitlin, only this time, he went right to voicemail.

Kevin came back. "Tech says it's impossible, someone is blocking the signal".

They all started talking at the same time. "Everybody quiet"! yelled out Alvin. He looked around the room. "Come on baby, I know you left me something, I know you did. You wouldn't go handle this on your own, not anymore". He walked into the other room as the others followed. "You would be very careful so that no one would see it or notice it". He closed his eyes as the other's watched. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and ran to the bottom of the stairs that headed upstairs. He climbed the stairs two by two as Jay and Adam followed behind.

He sprung the bathroom door open and looked inside. He turned on the hot water faucet. He looked at Jay and Adam. "Shut the door and turn the fan off".

The shut the door behind them and flipped the fan off.

As the bathroom was middle-sized it took time. It wasn't going fast enough. Alvin turned on the shower to maximum temperature and returned in front of the sink. Slowly steam filled the room. Jay and Adam's eyes filled with admiration and disbelief. Alvin nodded as he looked at the mirror. Before leaving the house, she had done the same and written on the mirror the location where she was headed. Once the steam gone and the mirror dried, it was invisible to the eye.

"I'll be damned", said Jay.

Alvin took a picture of the mirror and they rushed downstairs to meet the rest of them.

"OK. Everybody gear up, we're headed for Janesville and my guess is that Caitlin has an hour on us, so we'd better hurry"!


	29. You can't hide!

Alvin drove as fast as he could. He had contacted the Deputy Chief of Operations at Janesville to let him know what was going on. Even if the Deputy Chief had not been happy, he agreed to let Intelligence lead and he would supply them with backup. They were to meet and assess the situation a mile away from the address that Caitlin had provided.

Adam looked at Kim, Jay and Kevin in the back of the SUV. He then looked at Al. The silence was heavy.

"She's brought us here so far. She can defend herself".

"I know she can", said Al. "That's what I'm worried about".

"I get that getting punched or kicked is no fun, she's taken hits before Al".

"If she does, it'll all be over and I can't… I won't let that happen"!

"What are you talking about"?

Alvin kept his eyes on the road and held on tighter to the steering wheel as he thought about it. "Caitlin is 2,5 months pregnant with twins".

No one said a word. There was no lieu for congratulations as they realized how jeopardizing this was all becoming.

As she had gotten closer to destination, Caitlin had hit some major traffic jams. At exactly 2 hours and 15 minutes, she got a phone call.

"You're late Caitlin. Was I not clear about what I would do if you were late"?

She heard Hank groan as he took whatever Sam was sending his way.

Before she could say anything, Sam had hung up.

She pulled up to the old GM abandoned factory ten minutes later. It took her five minutes to find her way around and reach them. Her phone rang.

"I'm here", she said firmly as she looked at Sam.

"Hello Caitlin, how nice of you to join us". He looked at his watch. "Unfortunately, you're another fifteen minutes late"!

He punched Hank and pushed the chair over, sending it to the ground with Hank tied to it. He kicked Hank in the ribs and abdomen.

"Stop! Sam, please stop"! she said trying not to show that she was on the verge of an emotional breakdown.

"I have your money"!

"First things first, lift up your shirt slowly".

"What"?

"You think I'm stupid enough to let you get away with a hidden gun".

"And you think I'm stupid enough to know that you'd check. I'm not armed Sam".

"Just do it"! he said as he pointed Hank's gun at her.

She put the duffel bag down and lifted her shirt to show her waistline.

"Now turn around".

She turned around to show her back. "Satisfied"? she asked.

"Almost. Lift up the bottom of your pants, nice and slow".

Caitlin did as she was told. He came towards her. "Nice leather jacket. Spread it open so I can check the pockets".

He checked the pockets and smile deviously. "You've made this so easy Caitlin. I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed, I thought you'd put up some sort of fight".

He headed back towards Hank still aiming at Caitlin. Hank looked at her. "Caitlin, get out of here"!

"I'm not leaving without you".

"How sweet", said Sam smiling. "It's beautiful really. To see the family love".

"Look, just take the money. You got what you wanted. It's over", said Caitlin.

"It's over when I say it's over and you know what? It's not over"!

"Then what do you want"?! yelled Caitlin.

"Payback, revenge, an eye for an eye…call it what you want".

He moved back towards Hank. "10 years ago, you arrested my father because you found cocaine in the backroom of our general store. He hung himself a week later in his cell. We lost the store, my mother lost her job, people turned us away and we ended up in a shelter because we couldn't pay to keep a roof over our heads. From that moment, I promised myself that I would seek revenge for all the pain and suffering you put us through. My father was innocent"!

Suddenly, Hank remembered the case. "You're father was a drug dealer! His place was in jail. You were a kid, you truly think you knew your father? He was guilty and he was a coward"!

"Stop saying that"! yelled Sam. "I have been waiting for years, working hard so that I can be right here and make you pay what you did"!

Sam looked back at Caitlin. "Open the bag and throw it over"!

He looked at the amount of cash that was in it.

"That's for all the financial worries my mom and I had because of you. Now it's time for the emotional turmoil".

He slowly started to walk towards Caitlin. "Initially, I was going to kill you Hank. As simple eye for an eye. But then I thought, even if I torture you, you will never feel the pain I felt all those years. Then a young beautiful Instructor arrives at the Academy and she's a Voight, your niece. Or maybe you consider her like a daughter due to the poor tragedy that hit first her mother than father. Anyway, there was my answer. Imagine the years of suffering you'd go through, if you lost her"!

He reached Caitlin and pointed the gun to the back of her head.

"I swear before God, that if you touch her, I will hunt you down and rip your heart out with my bare hands"!

Sam caressed Caitlin's hair. She froze upon his touch. "I won't kill her right away. I confess, I find her extremely exciting. She's so beautiful and her skin is so soft". He looked at Hank. "I love the birthmark she has", he put his finger in between her breasts, "right there"!

She felt nauseous suddenly. The only way he could know, was if he had seen her naked. That son of a bitch had been watching her?

Sam started unbuttoning her blouse, from behind, with his free hand. As he did so, he smiled at Hank. "This is getting exciting"!

He then turned his attention to Caitlin as he passed his free hand in through the opening of the blouse. "I realize thought you'd fight me on this Caitlin. I'm disappointed you didn't bring a gun. It's too easy"!

"Never, ever, underestimate me"! said Caitlin as she pulled her right hand back up in the leather jacket sleeve and thrust it back out. Sam realized that he had indeed underestimated her when she thrust the knife into his thigh and turned it into the flesh. He yelled and pushed Caitlin away abruptly. Before she could recuperate her balance, he slapped her with the gun and she fell to the ground.

She was dizzy and lightheaded. Hank desperately tried to free himself but his attempts were vain. She stumbled as she tried to stand up.

"Watch out", yelled Hank as he saw Sam come up behind her.

She saw him from the corner of her eyes and thrust her leg, at his abdomen, in a back kick. Caitlin searched for the gun but couldn't find it. She headed for Hank. Caitlin ducked as Sam shot in their direction and moving towards them fast. He was enraged.

Hank looked at her. "Get out of here"!

"I'm not leaving you", she said.

"That's an order! Get out of here"!

She stood and ran further into the factory hoping to find another exit. She grabbed her phone and tried to call 911 but there was no coverage.

When the rest of the team arrived on site with the Janesville PD, lights flashing and sirens going, Sam was running past Hank. "You can run Caitlin, but you can't hide"!

Caitlin ran as fast as she could between the old abandoned assembly lines, cables and remaining car parts. The factory was pretty straight forward but it was huge and had two levels. She ducked again as Sam shot another round. She headed towards the stairs. She had heard the sirens, if she could just keep moving and keep enough distance between her and Sam, everything would be OK. What she hadn't planned on was that Sam had been coming to this factory for years and he knew it like the back of his hand, he knew shortcuts and dead-ends.

The team walked into the main part of the factory. Alvin and Jay ran carefully over to Hank.

"Where's Caitlin"? asked Alvin.

"She ran off that way".

"Where's Flanigan"? asked Jay.

"He's chasing after her".

"What"? said Al as he stood.

"He's behind all of this. Go"!

Kevin and Kim took over and helped Hank.

Jay and Alvin kept moving quietly but quickly through the factory. They heard a shot being fired from the upper level.

"That way"! said Jay.

Caitlin kept running. Suddenly Sam emerged in front of her, a few feet away. She took a left and headed down a walkway. It lead to a dead-end! Closed off by a single handrail and as she looked below, all she could see was void and the assembly lines much lower. She was trapped.

He walked over to her slowly still with the gun in his hand. He had been smart and hadn't removed the knife from his thigh, preventing too much blood loss.

Down below, Jay and Alvin arrived in that segment of the factory.

"And so it ends", said Sam satisfied. "I told you, you can run but you can't hide from me, Caitlin".

They both looked up in the direction of the voice. Al's eyes narrowed as he realized that Caitlin was trapped. He waved at Jay that he was heading upstairs. Jay headed to the other side of the factory, right across from where Caitlin and Sam were.

Caitlin knew she was running out of time. In the past she would have thrown herself on him head first in the chest and tried to neutralize him, but not with the babies. There was no way, that she was going to jeopardize them. She wasn't going to lose them!

"So you want to have a little fun before I kill you or should we get it over with once and for all"? said Sam still walking over slowly to her.

She looked around for anything that she could use against him or throw at him. Even if the catwalk was finished, the railing kept going a bit further towards a chain that was dangling from the ceiling to the lower floor. It was her only hope until someone found them. She passed her head and chest under the railing, then her legs. The soles of her flat shoes slid on the polished metal surface of the railing. As she held on, she shook them off her feet, landing 25 feet below.

Sam shot the gun in her direction but it was empty. He tossed the gun away and in one last big stride arrived at the railing and grabbed Caitlin's hands. She held on as tightly as she could as he tried to undo her hold, hoping to send her in a long deadly fall.

"Let her go and step away from the railing", yelled out Alvin from the beginning of the catwalk.

"You won't shoot me. It's too dark, you won't take the risk of missing and killing her". He returned his attention to Caitlin and resumed what he was doing.

Jay aimed the rifle. If he had one advantage, it was that Sam was way taller than Caitlin by a head. He had enough margin to shoot without compromising her. He pulled the trigger, the bullet blazed across the factory and with seconds, lodged itself in the middle of Sam's forehead. He collapsed instantaneously.

Alvin ran over to the railing. "I've got you. Nice and slow", he said as he helped her come back onto the catwalk. The minute she was safe, he took her into his arms. "Oh God"! he said as he held her tightly and kissed her. She felt her knees buckle from fatigue and strain. He lifted her up in his arms and cradled her.

Jay met them at the bottom of the stairs. "Is she alright"?

"Have the ambo get a gurney ready. She looks fine but I'm not taking any chances".

Jay ran ahead of them.

Alvin looked at her. "I thought you promised me you would never do something like this again"?

"I didn't have much of a choice".

"I know. Is there anyway I can ask you to retire from CPD"?

"No. But I do agree that I should take some time off".

They arrived into the main part. Hank who was being treated, for his various wounds, jumped off his gurney as Alvin sat Caitlin down on the free one. He walked over and took her in his arms. He then took Al in a brotherly embrace.

Kim walked up to Cat. "Are you OK"?

"Yeah. I'm fine", she said as the paramedic took her blood pressure.

Kim smiled. "Are they ok"?

Cat looked at Alvin. "It kind of popped up in a discussion earlier", he said in a nonchalant way.

"What are we talking about"? asked Hank.

Caitlin looked at him with so much love and tenderness he couldn't help but feel moved when she told him "In a little more than six months I'm going to be a mom".

"With twins", chirped in Kim, extremely excited for her best friend.

Hank looked at Alvin and tapped him on the back. "Congratulations"! He then walked over and took Caitlin into his arms again. "I'm happy for you. You're going to be a great mom, don't ever doubt that for a second".

"Thank you. There was some truth in what Sam said. You may be my uncle and I know that you will never replace dad, but that is who you are to me. Being a dad, is not just about conceiving a child, its also about caring for, raising and loving a child as your own, and that is what you have done all these years. I love you".

"I love you too kiddo"!


	30. Paradise

_**Two months later:**_

Hank grabbed a cup out of the cupboard and served himself a cup of coffee just as Kim came in.

"Have you heard from Cat and Al"? she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, they arrived in Los Cabos yesterday afternoon local. They'd just settled in, when they called me".

"Good. I'm glad they got a chance to get away for ten days. After all that's happened these past few months and the babies on the way, they sure can use some time alone together".

Hank smiled. Just as he had been happy about Justin and Olive when they were going to have Daniel, he was just as happy for Caitlin and Alvin.

"Oh definitely, cause when those babies are there, they won't have a minute to themselves".

"I'll take the beach, the sun and cocktails any day"! said Jay as he walked in.

"I'll take the baby and the vacation, anytime", said Kim.

At that moment Adam who was about to enter the kitchen, discreetly turned heels and headed back to his desk. Having a baby was a very sensitive subject for the moment. Since they had found out about Caitlin, Kim had been bringing up the subject a lot and their opinions differed. He wanted kids, but he wasn't ready.

Caitlin walked out of the Oceanfront Villa, that they were staying in, unto the patio. Al was reading in one of the long chairs alongside the pool as he listened to the waves delicately caress the sand. She paused for a moment, taking in the beauty of the view. She hadn't been expecting Al to go to such lengths. She had worried that he had overdone it but he had reassured her.

"I've been putting money on the side my entire life. I haven't gone on a vacation in years. This may be the last chance I have at spoiling you before the babies arrive. I want this to be magical for us"!

She had smiled and placed her hand on her growing belly. "You're already spoiling me with this gift"!

She walked past him in a beautiful black bikini and headed for their private pool. His heart accelerated as he saw her and he closed his book. He watched as she entered the swimming pool and realized how lucky he was to have her in his life. He put his book down, stood and joined her.

He took her into his arms and kissed her passionately. He directed her to a corner of the pool and untied the string of her bikini top. He removed his mouth from hers and brought it's attention to her breasts. She inhaled deeply as he licked and sucked her hardening nipple. He did the same with the other one and she felt his desire for her as he pressed hard against her. His hands trailed down to her bikini bottom and slid it down. He removed his, as his fingers invaded her femininity and teased it. She let out a whimper of pleasure. He lifted her up and she put her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, allowing him to fill her.

 _ **Ten days later:**_

Alvin walked into the district a happy and rested man. He waved to Trudy as he headed upstairs. One of the cops looked at Trudy.

"Was that Detective Olinsky"?

"Yeah. Why"?

"I don't know, he's changed. He's always happy and smiling now".

She smiled. "Love will do that to a person. Especially if it's the one".

Hank met Alvin at the top of the stairs. "How was it"?

"Great".

"And how's Caitlin"?

"She's good. We had a great time. We rested, took in some rays, swam and had long romantic walks on the beach".

"Good, I'm glad you two had some time alone. You think you're up for dinner tonight at the house"? "With Meredith and I"? he added cautiously.

"I'll check with Caitlin but I don't see why not".

"You're sure"? asked Hank.

Alvin knew that he was talking about Meredith.

"Right now, I'm the happiest I've been in many years and you know what? It's beautiful and it makes you feel alive. If she makes you happy the way Caitlin makes me happy, then I want that for you".

The two men looked at each other and smiled. "Ok then. Let me know when you've spoken to Caitlin and I'll let Meredith know".

Alvin thought for a moment. "Tell you what, I have a better idea. I'm going to catch up on what I've missed while in paradise and you call Caitlin. I'm sure she'll like that".

"Got it".

Caitlin put the last load of laundry in the washing machine when her phone rang. She hastened to the kitchen to pick it up.

"Hey kiddo".

"Hi".

"Alvin says you had a great time".

"Such a great time that we considered not coming home".

"That good huh"?

"Yeah. What's up"?

"Busy but good. Listen, Meredith and I were wondering if you and Al would like to come over for dinner tonight. Al said I should check with you first".

"Of course. We'd love to".

"You sure you won't be too tired"?

"I'm more than fully rested and I've got nothing on my agenda today, so don't worry".

"Alright then, 7 o'clock? Al can drive me home and maybe Meredith can pick you up"?

"Sounds great. Can I bring anything"?

"Nope, just you. I've missed you".

"I've missed you too. I'll see you later".

At the end of the day, and a full day combined with catching up and working on a new case, Alvin's vacation seemed far away. He and Hank headed back to Hank's.

A little before seven, Caitlin headed outside to wait for Meredith. It was two weeks till Christmas and the Chicago weather was getting cold. She wouldn't be surprised if it snowed in the coming days. She was wearing a grey pair of jeans, a long red sleeve tee, black boots, under her jacket and a black beanie on her head. Meredith's car stopped alongside the curb. Caitlin got in the car.

"Hey Cat", said Meredith as she smiled at Caitlin.

"Hi Mer. Thanks for picking me up".

"Of course. You hungry"?

Caitlin laughed. "I'm always hungry"!

When they arrived at Hank's, Hank and Alvin were sitting in the sofa watching a hockey game on TV and having a beer.

Caitlin removed her jacket and put it on the coat stand. Meredith looked at her with loving eyes.

"Pregnancy suits you Cat. You look radiant and beautiful".

Cat blushed, she had never been one at ease with compliments.

"May I"? asked Meredith looking at her round belly. She was almost 5 months pregnant but with twins it looked like it was 6.

Cat smiled. "Of course".

Meredith placed her hand on her belly and very naturally Caitlin guided it.

"That's twin B, the relatively quiet one and over here", she shifted her hand to the other side, "is twin A, the one with all the energy".

Meredith suddenly had a moment of nostalgia and Caitlin knew she was thinking about Lexi. Al too thought and spoke a lot about Lexi and for Cat there was nothing more normal.

Caitlin cocked her head to the side gently. "You know Al talks to them about Lexi".

"He does"?

"Yes, very often. She'll always be in our hearts and I want these babies to grow up knowing what a wonderful sister they had".

Meredith took Caitlin in her arms. "You are truly an amazing person Cat. I'm grateful that Alvin has such a loving and caring person in his life".

Once the emotion between them had settled, they walked together into the living room.

As Meredith said hi to Alvin, Cat hugged Hank.

Alvin took Caitlin in his arms. "There you are".

"Missed me"? asked Cat.

"Are you kidding? I only thought about you like… every other minute. Yeah, I missed you".

They sat back down in the sofa as the pot roast cooked.

"So, when do we get to know the gender of the twins"? asked Hank.

"We decided to not find out the gender. We want to have the surprise".

"And what about names? Any ideas yet"?

Alvin smiled. "We've got a few ideas in mind but sometimes it's hard just agreeing on one name per gender, now we have to agree on two"!

"We'll I'm sure they'll be beautiful"! said Meredith. "The babies and the names".

They sat down for dinner and chatted. Even if at first it seemed odd to both Alvin and Caitlin to see signs of tenderness between Hank and Meredith, after a while, it didn't.

Once they'd had dinner, they played trivial pursuit while eating a slice of Meredith's homemade cherry pie. Eventually, the evening winded down and Alvin could see that Cat was getting tired. They thanked Meredith and Hank for the dinner and great evening and headed home.


	31. Chaos

As they headed home, Alvin stopped in front of the Lincoln Park Zoo.

"Let's go for a stroll", said Al.

"What now? Isn't it closed"? asked Caitlin.

"Not yet. Come on".

As they neared the zoo, Caitlin's eyes filled with wonder. "I'd forgotten they'd already put up the zoolights. It's simply beautiful".

The walked up to the gates. They were closed and a security guard was standing behind them.

Caitlin's heart sank. "I guess they are closed".

Alvin looked at the guard with a warm smile. "Good evening Bob".

"Good evening Al. Miss".

He opened the gate. "Come on in".

Alvin took her by the hand and walked through the gate as Bob closed it behind them. She looked at him. "Are you sure we can do this"?

"Bob and I go way back. He knows we're not here to steal an animal".

"Alright then".

They walked for a while hand in hand underneath the decorative lights. The weather was cold, but she didn't care.

He stopped near a bench and they sat down. He put his arms around her. She put her head on his shoulder. Feeling him remove his arm from around her she sat back up. A soft melody started over the speakers and Al stood. He put his hand out.

"Dance with me".

She stood and he put his arms around her and swayed with her gently, never taking his eyes off her. There was so much love in her eyes as she smiled at him. As they danced and the man started to sing, she recognized the song that was playing, it was Joe Cocker's "You are so beautiful".

Al removed one of his hands from around her but kept swaying, his eyes lost in hers. He made her turn and as she finished her turn, still holding her hand, he bent down on one knee.

"When you were five years old, we were all at Hank's house for a BBQ. I watched as Camille, sitting across from me, braided your hair. You were smiling as you looked at me. When she was done, you jumped out of her lap and came and sat on mine. You looked at me, with that look you get sometimes when you see something so profound that none of us see. And you asked me in the most innocent way : 'When I'm older, will you marry me'? It was cute and although most girls ask their dads, you asked me and I was touched. Everyone smiled and laughed when I promised you I would".

Caitlin's eyes filled with tears. She didn't remember that.

"I am awestruck by your beauty, I am amazed at how strong, independent and passionate you are about everything. After you left Chicago, I realized over time how your presence in my life was missing and when you returned, I knew I never wanted you to not be a part of it. You turned that light back on, you made me believe again that love was possible and that I deserved it. You are heaven's gift to me by letting me be a part of your life, loving me and allowing to be a father again".

He opened up the little black jewelry box to reveal a beautiful Soleste engagement ring. It had a scintillating double halo of brilliant diamonds and a 1.5 ct diamond center stone.

"So, here we are thirty years later and I'm going to keep that promise. Caitlin Elizabeth Voight, will you make me the happiest man on Earth, and marry me"!?

She smiled as she cried tears of happiness. "Yes".

He smiled as he heard her answer. He took the ring out of the box and placed it on her finger. It fit perfectly and the zoolights reflected in it. He stood and took her in his arms.

"I love you Al".

"I love you".

They kissed and resumed dancing.

After a while, they walked back hand in hand towards the gate.

Bob smiled and nodded as he opened the gate for them.

"Good night Bob".

"Goodnight Al, Miss".

The following evening Cat met Alvin and the others at Molly's.

When she reached their table, she took off her jacket, hat, scarf and gloves.

Hank looked at Alvin and smiled.

Kim directed her attention from her discussion with Kevin to Caitlin. Her eyes grew huge as she noticed the ring on her finger.

"Caitlin?! Oh my God!", she looked at Alvin. "You proposed"?!

Alvin put his arm around Cat's waist. "I did, last night and she said yes"!

Everyone congratulated and hugged them.

Hank looked at Caitlin. "You belong together".

She then saw something in his eyes. "You knew he was going to propose"?

"Of course. He asked me your hand in marriage last night".

Caitlin turned her head to look at Al as he talked and laughed with Adam. He felt her gentle, loving stare on him and looked at her with that smile that she melted for.

"He did"?

"I was moved by it. I know Jim would have said yes. So I said yes, for the both of us".

Caitlin eyes filled with tears as she thought of her father.

He wiped a tear as it fell on her shoulder. "Hey, no crying, you're father would not want that. He would want you to be happy. You have every reason to be happy, you're getting married to an wonderful man and you're going to be a mom"!

She nodded. They joined the rest of them. Alvin smiled and kissed her forehead as she placed herself to his left. They all raised their glasses to toast the future bride and groom.

Chaos hit Molly's. Shots came blazing through the windows and door in unstopping blasts from semi-automatic weapons. Glass broke and shattered around them all. Alvin grabbed Caitlin from behind and quickly but cautiously brought her down to the ground, careful to not hurt the twins. The rest of the fall was hard and she hit her head on the bottom edge of the bar with a loud thud. At the same time, around them, people ducked and took cover behind objects or on the floor.


	32. Aftermath

Caitlin's head throbbed and ached. She could hear people screaming, yelling and crying. She opened up her eyes and took in the disastrous scene that unfolded in her sights. Furniture was knocked over, glass shards and wooden pieces of the bar covered the floor. The smell of alcohol, blood and ammo.

Some people slowly stood as others remained on the ground, either injured or non-responding. She put her hand on her belly and gave a sigh of relief when she felt the babies move inside her. She put her hand down and slowly eased herself up to a sitting position.

Hank opened his eyes and saw her. His shoulder was bleeding through his shirt. She removed her hand from the floor and looked at it. It was smeared with blood. Hank crawled over to her.

"Cat, are you OK? Are you bleeding"?

She looked at the blood on her hands again. She then remembered how Al had protected her. She turned her head around and saw him lying on the side, behind her. She turned and knelt in his direction.

She shook him gently. "Al"?

Then she saw it, the puddle of blood coming from underneath him.

"Al!? Oh my god! Al"!

She took his face in her hands.

"Come on baby, wake up. Talk to me"!

Hank arrived behind her. "Cat are you hurt"?

She looked at Hank with panic and tear-filled eyes. "It's Al. I think he got shot"!

Connor stood from the corner of the room where he had taken refuge. He called 911 and then quickly triaged those that were around him. Will was doing the same at the other end of the room. As he got towards the middle of the bar, he saw Caitlin, a laceration on her forehead, hovering over Alvin. He walked over.

"Caitlin are you alright"?

"Al's been shot, he's losing a lot of blood"!

He quickly checked Al for a pulse and made sure he was breathing. He then stood and grabbed a napkin from the bar. He handed it to her.

"Your head is bleeding", he said.

"I'm fine. Please take care of him".

Connor handed Hank the napkin. "Press down on the laceration".

Hank nodded.

Connor checked Alvin out to see where the blood was coming from. "Are the babies moving"? he asked Caitlin.

"Yes".

He continued his search and finally found the entry wound. It was at the bottom of his back.

She looked at Al again. He was pale.

"Al, please stay with me"! She started to cry. Hank took her into his arms from behind and cradled her against him. He turned around and saw Kim taking care of Adam with Will. "How is he"?

"Not good, he's losing a lot of blood. Cat"?

"She's OK".

"What about Al"?

He shook his head. It didn't look good. He looked around. Kevin, Jay and Hailey seemed to be OK and were helping out some of the others.

"Let's not move him", said Connor as he took another napkin for Al's wound.

"Why"? said Caitlin worried.

"Caitlin, I need you to listen to me very carefully. I can't see very well, but if the bullet is lodged in his spine, I can't move him without a neck brace and a board".

The first to arrive on scene were the Chief along with patrol cops and gang. He walked in, his eyes growing bigger as he took in the atrocity of what had happened. Doctors, nurses, cops, firefighters and regular patrons were injured or worse.

Halfway across the room he saw Hank.

"Voight"!

Hank raised his head and acknowledge the Chief's presence. He nodded at him. Hank then turned towards Jay. "Jay! Can you come and take over for me"?

"Yeah", said Jay from a bit further out. He stood and walked over.

"Cat, I'll be back. Jay's got you". He looked at Jay. "Here, keep applying pressure".

Jay nodded as he took the place of Hank's hand, then his place on the floor behind Caitlin as Hank stood. Caitlin fell back against his chest. She was worn out. Worn out physically and emotionally. All she could do was hold Al's hand and look at him through blurry eyes.

"How are you holding up"? asked the Chief.

Hank looked at his shoulder. "I think it's superficial".

"How about the rest of the team"?

"Ruzek and Olinsky are in critical condition. The rest seem to be stable".

The Chief looked at him. "And Caitlin"? The Chief had gotten to know very well Caitlin through the Academy and she was someone he appreciated in every aspect of the term.

"Head laceration, she thinks the babies are OK. She's more worried about Alvin right now than herself".

"Any idea who did this"? asked the Chief.

"Not the slightest idea", said Hank.

"Did you see anything"?

"No".

"Maybe someone saw something through the window".

"It's always a possibility, but getting everyone's feedback might be difficult and take some time".

Stiles looked at Hank. "We'll see if we have any witnesses outside, gather pod feeds and I'll also have some of the guys reach out to their CIs to see if they've heard anything".

"Ok", said Hank.

10 ambulances came speeding into the street. The Chief, Stiles and Hank stepped outside.

Gabby who had been on duty that night came up to Hank.

"We're going to need more ambos", said Hank.

She nodded. "More are on the way, should be here in a few minutes. Tell me what I can expect, I want to be able to coordinate this efficiently".

"From what I've seen, everything from twisted or broken limbs, to lacerations and gunshot wounds".

"How many people are we talking about"?

"About 40 in total".

"How many critical"?

"I'm not a doctor, Will and Connor have been assessing them, I would say about 15, including Adam and Al".

"OK". She turned to the rest of the EMTs and quickly discussed how they were going to organize themselves.

They entered the bar and Gabby swallowed as she hardly recognized the place. Will met her.

"Talk to me", she said.

"We've got 10 critical that need evac. Hailey's put red lipstick on their foreheads and then there's Adam whom I've been taking care of and Connor is with Alvin. Out of the critical, they are the ones that need immediate evac, both GSW".

She nodded.

"Oh and you're going to need a neck brace and a backboard for Al".

Gabby looked past him at where Connor was. He was changing from a blood filled napkin to a clean one. Caitlin was sitting against Jay conscious but somehow lifeless.

They took Alvin outside and placed him on the gurney as Jay helped Caitlin walk behind them. They put him in the ambo and she followed Connor towards the back ambo doors. Connor turned around.

"Caitlin, you're going to have to meet us at Med".

"What"?

"Cat, both of us can't go with him".

She shook her head, abruptly removed Jay's arm from her waist and pounded on Connor's chest. "No Connor, I'm not leaving him"!

Still pounding against his chest, she started to sob. "I can't lose him".

He put his arms around her. "I promise you, I'll take good care of him, until we get to Med".

"Don't make promises you can't keep", she said still crying.

Connor nodded in Jay's direction. Jay nodded and gently removed Cat from Connor. Connor jumped into the ambulance and they headed off. Within seconds, the second ambo with Adam and Will left. Kim and Caitlin hugged and cried together both feeling helpless as the men they loved fought for their lives.


	33. I hate this part

The team entered the ED waiting room. Tons of family members and friends of the shooting were there, as more came in.

Caitlin looked around and walked over to Nathalie.

"Where's Al"?

"They brought him up to surgery".

"And Adam"? asked Kim just as worried.

"He's also in surgery. I don't know anything more". Nathalie looked at Kim, she only had a few minor cuts. She turned to Caitlin.

"Why don't I check you and those babies out and then get you stitched up? Looks like you had a pretty nasty fall".

Caitlin stared into oblivion.

"Caitlin"? said Nathalie. She looked her over and noticed not only the drying blood on her hands but also her ring. Her heart sank. Caitlin didn't deserve this. "Jay, do you mind taking her into booth 5? I'll meet you there in a minute".

He nodded. "Come on Cat".

As she headed to get the ultrasound, she ran into April.

"This is a nightmare", April said.

"I can't believe the world we live in. Let's focus on doing our jobs and hope everyone makes it".

After having checked Caitlin out, she sent in someone to stitch the side of her head. When they were done, Caitlin headed back to the waiting room. Kim and Hailey were sitting with Adam's dad so she headed to a free seat next to Jay and Kevin.

"Everything alright with the twins"? asked Kevin.

Caitlin simply nodded. It was like she was having an out of body experience. Her body was there physically but she was feeling numb. Everything around was hazy and foggy.

Meredith came hurrying inside. She looked around and saw Cat. She ran over to her.

"Oh my God, Caitlin are you alright"?

Seeing that she wasn't responding, she knelt down in front of her and took her hands. She also had known about their engagement and she had been happy for them. She looked at the ring.

"Cat? Where's Hank? Where's Alvin"?

Caitlin looked up at her. "Hank's was with the Chief when we left Molly's".

Meredith, closed her eyes in relief. If Hank had been with the chief than it was a good sign.

"Alvin's in surgery, he's….", she couldn't finish her sentence and merely started to cry.

Jay scooted over allowing Meredith to sit down next to Caitlin. She put her arm around her.

"He's strong. He'll make it. Don't doubt that".

Caitlin started to sob. "I can't… I can't do this without him…".

"And you won't have to".

Meredith took her hand in hers and patted it. "Are you thirsty"?

Caitlin nodded as she wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"I'll get you some water".

As she headed for the water fountain, she saw Hank come inside. His shirt was all bloody, not a sight she enjoyed seeing. He saw her and walked over to her. She took him into her arms.

"Are you alright"?

"It's only superficial".

"What the hell happened"?

"I wish I knew. What's the status"?

"I just got here. Alvin's in surgery, that's all I know", she looked over at Caitlin. "And Caitlin is a mess".

He nodded as he looked over at Caitlin. Her emotional distress was more than understandable. For her, this hit too close to home. It was almost like a dejà vu.

"I'm going to check up on Kim, I'll be right over".

She held him back. "You also need to have your shoulder looked at".

He caressed her face. "I'm alright, don't worry. There are more important things to tend to right now".

"What are you talking about"?

"Meredith, I need to get the team I have left, together and we need to start investigating on who did this".

She narrowed her eyes. "Caitlin needs you right now".

"I know. But she's a cop and I know she'll understand and want me to find the whoever did this".

Meredith knew he was right, but still she didn't like it. She headed over to the water fountain and took a cup for her and Caitlin and sat back down next to her as Hank talked with Kim, Hailey and Adam's father. Hailey stood and headed outside with Adam's dad. Kim and Hank walked over to the rest of them.

"Cat? Are you OK"? he asked.

She looked up and gave a weak nod of the head. "Physically we're fine. Emotionally? I'd be lying if I told you I was hanging in there".

He knelt and took her hand in his. "Don't you ever feel as though you have to lie to me about how you feel. We're all worried about Alvin and Adam".

He then stood and looked at Jay and Kevin. "Are you two operational"?

They both nodded.

"Ok, we're going to need all the help we need".

He looked at Meredith than at Caitlin.

"Cat, I need to get back out there and help out on the field".

She looked at him with burning eyes. "You find the bastards that did this and you bring them to justice, do you hear me"!?

He simply nodded and looked at Meredith.

"I'll stay with Kim and Caitlin. You guys go ahead and do what you've got to do".

Ethan came out of the operating room at the same time as Will. They met at the scrub zone and removed their surgical scrubs and gloves.

"Tell me you've got good news", Will said to Ethan.

He shook his head. "He's stable but it's not good. And you"?

"He's stable as well, but he was lucky".

"This is the part I hate", said Ethan. "The one where you have to tell the families".

"I feel terrible for Caitlin. Did you know that Alvin proposed and that's why they were at Molly's? So that they could share the news with everyone"?

"I didn't know. It's awful. They don't deserve this. None of the victims tonight, deserve what's happening to them".

They took the elevator downstairs to the ED in silence, then walked towards the waiting room.

All three women stood as both doctor's walked in.

"How are they"? asked Caitlin.

Ethan looked at her than at Kim and Meredith, Will did the same.

"We're a family", said Caitlin, "Whatever you're going to tell us individually, we're going to tell one another". She took Kim and Meredith's hand n each of her hands.

Will nodded. "Adam is in recovery. His surgery went well. He lost a lot of blood but the bullet didn't touch any of the vital organs".

Kim gave a sigh of relief. Caitlin squeezed her hand.

Ethan swallowed. "Alvin is stable but the rest of what I have to say is not good news. The bullet lodged itself in the spinal cord at T6. When he came in, there was no reaction to stimulus in the lower half of the body".

Caitlin blinked a couple of times as she mentally took in his words. "Are you saying he's paralyzed"?

She felt Meredith and Kim's hands tighten around hers.

"It's too early to tell. We'll know more when he comes to, but we have to be prepared for the probability that he is paraplegic. It could just be the legs, or the trunk and legs".

"So, he may never walk again"? asked Caitlin in a very quiet voice.

"At this time, I can't say whether it's permanent or temporary. I'm really sorry".

Caitlin felt the Earth beneath her waver. She felt her legs and knees buckle under the stress of the heartbreaking news. Had she not been somehow supported by Meredith and Kim, she would have sank to the floor.

"Why don't you sit down", said Will, seeing that it was weakening her.

She sat down and they discreetly left.

"How am I going to tell him"?

"Let Ethan do it. You heard him, right now it's too early to tell for sure".

She looked at Meredith who hard tears in her eyes. Caitlin couldn't cry, she wouldn't, she was mad. Mad at the entire world. She wanted to be hopeful, but she couldn't be. She needed to prepare herself for the worst case scenario: Alvin would never walk again and he'd spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.


	34. Love, faith and hope

An hour after Kim had been allowed to be by Adam's side, Ethan came to get Caitlin. Alvin was still stable but hadn't come to yet. She headed on up to his room. Before heading inside, she caressed her bump. If she and the babies were fine, it was due to the amazing sacrifice he had made. He had protected them. That was how much he loved them. She wasn't going to give up without a fight and even though she wished should could be hunting down the bastards that had just shattered their lives, this was where she needed to be. By the side of the man that loved her, that she was going to marry, that was going to be the father of their children.

She had settled in the very uncomfortable hospital chair that had been next to Alvin's bed and had simply taken his hand, kissed him and waited. She didn't recall how long she had waited, just looking for a sign that he was w aking up or looking at the monitor to make sure he remained stable, but somewhere in the midst of all of that, the exhaustion had taken over and she had fallen asleep, her head resting on the side of the bed.

She felt a gentle hand caress her hair. It felt like a dream. It was as if, they were back home and she had fallen asleep on his bare chest and her awakening was as it as always been. As she drifted out of her heavy sleep, the monitor's beeping slowly came to life and she realized that she wasn't dreaming but she was coming back to the nightmare she had preferred not living.

"Caitlin"? she heard his voice gently call out to her.

Her eyes flickered a couple of times, before opening up entirely. She slowly lifted her head and looked at him.

He smiled at her. "Hey gorgeous".

She held back the tears, an unbalanced mix of relief and sadness, as she shifted from the armchair to the side of the bed and sat on it. She put her soft hands around his face and kissed him.

"Hey baby".

Then she worried. How long had he been up? How long had he waited in silence before she woke. She had wanted to be awake when he woke, to help him progressively come to terms with the aftermath of the attack.

"Have you been awake a long time"?

He looked her straight in the eyes and took a solemn look. "Long enough to know that I'm not as I should be".

It was as if the tears she was holding back, compiled themselves in over abundant saliva in her mouth and she swallowed to get rid of it.

His hand trailed up to her bump. "But, I don't want to talk about that right now. Are you three alright"?

She nodded. Yes, they were fine, but no matter how relieved, grateful and happy she was that they were, none of that could transpire, not in the face of the adversity that he was going to come to terms with. "We're good, don't worry".

With his hand still on her bump, he passed the finger of this other hand over her stitched up laceration.

"It's nothing. It could have been worse. Besides I've seen my share of cuts and bruises, stiches and scars".

"How are the others"?

"Adam was in surgery but he's doing good, no vital organs were hit. Hank's shoulder got grazed by a bullet but he's fine. The rest of the team is accounted for".

"That's a relief. Were there any casualties"?

"It's hard to tell. When I came to, it was chaos all over. I focused on you. EMTs and ambulances were coming in by waves and Connor and Will had Adam and you on the first two ambos here".

There was a knock on the door. As it was the case with most doctors, they didn't ask for permission to enter or wait for an invitation, their knock was simply a polite warning that they were about to enter. Ethan and two other doctors came in. Ethan shook Alvin's hand and looked at Caitlin.

"Alvin, Caitlin, I'd like you to meet Dr. Martin Tuttle, our Neurological Surgeon and Dr. Stella Loumis, our Spine Surgeon".

In turn they shook hands with Alvin and Caitlin.

"When we started the surgery, we found that the bullet had lodged itself in the thoracic part of your spine, more precisely at the T6 level", said Dr. Loumis as she showed a graphic on the tablet. "We were able to remove the bullet but the damage it caused to your spine was non-negligible and inevitable".

"What does that mean exactly"? asked Alvin.

Caitlin looked at Ethan than up at the sky, almost as if she were praying or asking for a miracle.

"Before we get into that, I'd like to examine you, if that's alright with you"?

Alvin nodded and said nothing as Dr. Loumis removed the bedsheet from his body. She took out various instruments and asked Alvin several questions as she examined him. She entered the results on her tablet and talked briefly with Dr. Tuttle and Ethan.

"We'll need to run some more tests over the next couple of days but we are most probably finding ourselves in front of what is called the Brown-Séquard Syndrome. It is an incomplete spinal cord lesion. Incomplete in the sense that it's only caused to one half of the spinal cord. This leads to paralysis and loss of sensation on the same side of the injury and loss of pain and temperature sensation on the opposite side of the lesion. We are also looking at loss of bladder and bowel functions, you won't be able to control those".

"Paralyzed?"? mumbled Alvin shocked. "Are you saying I'm going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life"?

"Unfortunately, every case is different. Some people recover with physical therapy after 6 months, some after two years, others never do. I wish I could tell you, but I can't. I'm terribly sorry".

Caitlin watched silently as Alvin stared into emptiness. He then looked at his legs.

"I understand that this is a lot to take in right now", she looked at Caitlin, "for the both of you. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to let me know. We'll run tests regularly over the next couple of days and reevaluate then. The sooner we start physical therapy the better".

The three doctors quietly left the room.

Caitlin looked at Alvin and he caught her stare. She gave him a weak smile. "We're going to fight this. You'll be walking in no time".

He shook his head. "Did you hear what the doctor said? There's no way of knowing if I'll ever walk again".

"Baby, she didn't rule out the fact that you'd walk again".

"How am I supposed to live like this? My cop days are over, let's not even talk about taking you to the hospital or being able to help you for the delivery or when the babies are here"? He grabbed the jar of ice chips and flung it across the room in a crashing sound as it collided with the wall and sent the chips flying all over the room. "Heck, you'll not only be changing their diapers but also mine"!

Caitlin put her hand up to her mouth and covered it.

"You don't know that. Alvin, please, you can't give up. Not now. Baby I need you, we need you, you've got to fight this".

"I don't think I have it left in me", he said with empty eyes. "I need some time alone".

"OK", said Caitlin as a lone tear trickled down her cheek.

Caitlin closed the door behind her and stood her back to the wall next to it. The dam broke loose and she started to cry uncontrolledly.

He looked at the closed door. It broke his heart to see her like that, to know that what he was saying was tearing her apart, that he had given up hope before even trying to fight, when all she wanted was for him to believe, that her love, faith and hope would be enough. No matter how hard all of that was, he knew that he had nothing more to offer her. She deserved a better life than he would be able to give her. He had been broken before, but maybe this time around, no matter how hard he tried, he would never mend.


	35. somewhere in the world

_**One month later**_

Caitlin woke up to glass shattering. She looked at the alarm clock. It was 6 am. She rolled out of bed as she could. Being six months pregnant with the twins was definitely making it harder and harder. She walked into the living room. Due to the narrow hallway, Alvin's wheelchair couldn't reach the bedroom and he had resigned and taken place in the sofa. Being home, Caitlin had thought that he would have improved his humor but it was the complete opposite. Alvin wasn't in the sofa and she couldn't see the wheelchair anywhere. She heard rummaging from behind the kitchen island and walked over. He was on the floor amidst shattered pieces of a broken glass. She knelt down beside him.

"Are you Ok"?

He looked at her pissed off and she couldn't tell towards who or what his anger was directed to. "Can't even get myself a drink".

She placed the wheelchair that had shifted in alignment with him. "Here let me help you", she said as she gently took hold of his arm.

He brushed her off. "I can do this on my own. I don't need your help".

She took a step back and watched as he put his two hands on the wheelchair and lifted himself up in it. She picked up the broken glass pieces and dumped them into the garbage.

"What can I serve you? A glass of water or some juice maybe"? she said as she headed for the fridge with a new glass in hand.

"I've got it", he said as he rolled himself towards the liquor bar. He grabbed a bottle of scotch.

"Al, it's 6 o'clock in the morning".

"And somewhere in the world, it's time for a scotch".

She shook her head and put the glass back in the cupboard.

"What are you doing"? he asked.

"What? You really think I'm going to give you a glass so that you can have a Scotch at this time of the day"?

He looked at her indifferently. "Suit yourself. I don't need a glass". He opened the bottle and took a gulp out of it.

She bit her lip as she watched. "So, that's it. That's what it's going to be. You drowning yourself in alcohol. What about going to therapy? You haven't gone in a week".

"It's useless, there's no change and I can't feel a damn thing Cat"! he said pounding down on his leg.

"No one said it would be easy and that it would magically come back".

"I'll never walk again. Can you get that into your head"?

"No, I can't and I won't. You're the only one who thinks that you'll never walk again. And at the rate this is going, you probably never will. You've given up. If that's the way you want to live the rest of your life, fine but I refuse to watch you".

"Then don't", he said angrily.

"You have got so much to motivate you, to get your sorry ass out of that wheelchair. We're getting married, the babies are two and half months away from being here and you love your job. What the hell, is holding you back"?

"I wear diapers, I need the assistance of male nurse to wash me, I can't even sleep in our bedroom, let alone make love to you. Is that really the kind of life you want"?

"No. That's not what I want, which is why I want you to fight back. Because I know that we can beat this, together. But if you fight back and there is still no change, I'll live this life with you, because I love you and love is stronger than any obstacle or curve ball that life will throw at us. But if you don't try, I'm not going to".

"Ok then, at least it's settled", he said as he took another gulp of the Scotch.

"What's that supposed to mean"?

"I'm letting you off the hook and not letting you waste valuable time. You're free to go", he said as he pointed towards the door.

Her entire body shook as she realized what he was telling her. "Al, tell me you're not serious"?

"I am. This is not the life you or I want. I can no longer give you the life you deserve. I won't be able to help you and the babies. You're better off without me. Now get out".

"I live here".

"This is my house. Get out"!

She was startled by the anger and tone of his voice. She remained paralyzed herself for a few seconds before slowly heading back towards the bedroom to get dressed. She packed a few things in a bag and headed back towards the living room. He couldn't look at her. She sadly walked over to the door and let herself out.

When Hank arrived home at 7 am after a night of handling a terrible case, he found Meredith sitting at the kitchen table, cup of coffee in hand and a tormented look on her face. He kissed her than looked at her.

"Everything alright"?

"No".

He sat down and took her hand in his. "What's wrong"?

She looked up at the ceiling. "Caitlin's upstairs".

He was happy to know she had stopped by, not knowing the true reason behind her visit. "What's she doing upstairs"?

"She's resting. Alvin told her to leave".

Hank stood immediately. "What"?!

"She didn't go into much detail. All I know is that he hasn't gone to physical therapy in a week and he's started drinking again".

Hank clenched his fists.

"He's hurting Hank. Maybe he needs more time and support".

"Support? You're joking right? We've been there for him and Cat has been there for him more than any of us. He's getting the support, he's just being a complete fool and idiot about it".

He started to walk out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going"?

"I'm going to check up on Caitlin. Then Al and I are going to have a talk".

"Don't get involved Hank", she said firmly.

"You don't want me to get involved? Upstairs is a young woman who I love like my own daughter, she's pregnant with twins, she's unhappy and you don't want me to get involved? Let me tell you something, I would get involved if it was any other guy therefore, I'm most certainly not going to let Alvin off the hook that easily".

When he arrived upstairs, Caitlin was laying down on her old bed. She was looking at and caressing her bump.

He walked in and settled down next to her.

"I never thought I'd be back in this room", she said.

"Me either. At least not under these circumstances".

"I'm lost Hank. I don't know what to do anymore. He won't let me in, he doesn't want to fight. He's just given up. It's not the Alvin I know".

Hank looked at her.

"I'm not trying to make up excuses for him, but I thought we'd get over this together".

"Seems to me", said Hank "that he's lost track of what's important. He doesn't have his priorities straight".

"I just don't get it, all the reasons he gave to push me away, are the things I thought he'd use to get rid of".

"Look, I know that you love him and that you'd do anything for him, but right now you need to take care of yourself and these babies, with or without Alvin, no matter how hard that's going to be. You can stay here as long as you need to and we'll be here to help you and by we, I don't just mean Meredith and I, but also the others. We're family and I'm not going to make the same mistake I made and push you away when you need me the most".

She nodded. "Don't be too harsh on him OK"?

He looked at her puzzled.

"I know you. You're going to try and make him see he's wrong. And on top of that, you and Camille always thought we never heard what you said when you were in the kitchen, but we always did".

"I can't promise you anything. Right now, maybe he needs to be rattled".

When he had left her side, he had grabbed his keys and jumped into the car to see Alvin. He found himself between a rock and a hard place. Alvin was his best friend and they had always been there for each other and he hated nothing more than to tell Alvin what he truly thought of him at that precise moment.

He let himself in the apartment, he had taken Cat's key without her knowing it. He had been pretty sure that Alvin wouldn't have opened the door if he had known it was Hank. When he entered the living room, Alvin was either passed out or asleep on the couch. The bottle of Scotch was sitting on the floor, half empty. He walked over to the sink, grabbed a glass and filled it with cold water. He walked over to Alvin and thrust the water in his face.

Alvin's eyes sprung wide open. He looked at Hank as drops of water dripped from his face.

"Good", said Hank. "Now that you're awake, we're going to have a man to man talk".

"Don't waste your time", said Al as he wiped his face.

"Oh I'm not wasting my time, apparently that's your specialty right now".

"Yeah well, I've got time to kill".

"Then use it to really think about what I'm going to tell you. You are a selfish bastard, you know that? All this time, you've only thought about yourself. Have you ever thought about what Caitlin was going through"?

"Why do you think I told her to leave? Because I don't want her to have to go through this. She deserves better than this".

"You're right. The Alvin I know deserves her but this one doesn't even come close".

Al said nothing.

"I get that this is hard, but up until now you've been one of the luckiest men on Earth and you're throwing it all away because you're a coward. I know you love her, I know she means the world to you. That night, you saved her life and I know you don't regret it in anyway, but by giving up like you are, by not fighting, it's the impression you are giving. Do you want her to feel guilty for the rest of her life"?

"I don't regret for one second having saved her life and those of my future children"!

"Then show it god dammit! You fought hard when you wanted to convince me that you were the right one for her, now live up to that gnarl and the promise you made her to always be by her side"!

"I don't want her to see me like this", he said sadly.

"Then don't. You've got two months Al to get yourself together and I'll help you. I'll talk to her, I'll take you to physical therapy, I'll do everything I can to help you work through this, because I want you to be in her life, to be the last and only man in her life. Don't let her down"!


	36. The Light

_**A month later**_

After an intense month of physical therapy and it finally paying off, Alvin woke up again to an empty bed and he hated it. He hard worked really hard physically, emotionally and psychologically in bettering himself. Hank had kept his promise and had been there every step of the way and even if Al's interactions with Caitlin had been too few for his taste, he knew through Hank that she was doing fine and that she was standing by him. She had decided to stay with Hank and Meredith to preserve herself from the emotional and physical strain of being around Al would have entailed. He had respected her decision.

He sat up and took his cane and stood. He grew stronger every day and it was obvious that the cane was more a psychological need than a physical one, it was like a safety net for him. But he was more and more confident that it was only a question of days before he discarded of it. He wasn't ready to run a semi-marathon but he was walking and that was exceptional! He had an appointment that morning with Dr. Loumis and he was eager to here what she had to say.

As he walked out of Dr. Loumis' office, he was in a very good mood. He was almost at 90% capacity and she assured him that he kept going that it would be as if nothing had ever happened. He would still need to get the board's green light, but he could in a matter of time return to full duty.

When the elevator stopped on his floor and the door slid open, he took a step towards it and found himself face to face with Caitlin and Meredith.

Caitlin looked at him and her heart skipped a beat. It did so for many reasons. First, she was still in love with him and seeing him reminded her of how badly she missed him. Secondly, he looked like the Alvin she had known before all of this had happened and he was handsome. Third and lastly, he was walking and that had been the best news she'd had in a long time.

He smiled upon seeing her, he too realizing his love and devotion for her and how he had missed her. Yet he felt awkward, he didn't know what to say or how to act and it was obvious that he wasn't the only one. Yet as strong as she was, she made the first step.

"Alvin, you're walking. That's fantastic"!

"Yes, still need a little help but Dr. Loumis says it's just a question of a couple of days before I can get rid of this very gentlemanlike accessory".

"It's good to see you Meredith", he said politely.

"You too Al. It's good to see you on your feet again".

He then turned his full of attention to Caitlin as Meredith discreetly kept herself busy.

"How are you"?

"I'm good", she said in a soft voice.

He looked at her. She had gotten much bigger and aside from looking very tired, she looked beautiful.

"How are they doing"?

"So far so good. I'm on my way to see Dr. Baxter, I just had to get a routine blood test done in the lab first".

"That's good to hear".

His hand naturally found it's way to her face. "I've missed you".

She put her hand over his. "I've missed you too".

The elevator stopped and the door opened. "That's our stop". She stood not knowing what to say next or do as Meredith held the door open.

He nodded. "Take care of yourself".

She nodded and sadly exited the elevator.

He watched as the elevator doors closed and it continued its descent. He too suddenly felt sad and melancholic. He slowly started walking out of the hospital then stopped. It took him less than 10 seconds to realize that he didn't want to leave.

Meredith and Caitlin sat in the waiting room and chatted. Suddenly, Meredith stopped talking and smiled at Caitlin.

"I don't think my presence is needed anymore", she said kindly.

"What"?

Caitlin turned around and saw Alvin standing a few feet from them. Meredith patted Caitlin's hand and stood. She walked over to Alvin and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm glad the old Alvin is back".

He nodded. "Here, do me a favor, someone might need this more than me". He handed over his cane and walked over determined towards Cat.

As Caitlin watched him get closer, she couldn't help but have her eyes fill up with tears of joy and pride. It had taken him time, but he was finally winning his battle. She stood and he instantly put his arm around her.

"Have I told you lately that I love you"? he asked as he looked into her dark brown eyes.

"Not that I can recall".

He caressed her cheek with his thumb. "I love you. Do you hear me? I LOVE YOU"!

"I love you too".

He pulled her in closer as he kissed her. God how he had missed being to hold her, to touch her, to feel her against him and to have his lips graze hers.

"Caitlin"?

They parted and turned their heads, with a look on their face that was worthy of two teenagers being caught in the act of kissing, either at school or at home. Dr. Baxter was apparently undisturbed by what they had been doing and smiled.

"I'm ready for you".

Caitlin took Alvin's hand in hers and they walked in together, more united than ever, into Dr. Baxter's office.

Alvin watched impatiently as Dr. Baxter prepared the ultrasound machine. When the screen came to life, he was mesmerized. It had been months since he had seen the twins and as he watched them move and saw their faces up close in 4D, his heart filled up with so much love. Love for them but even more for Caitlin, who was giving him this beautiful gift.

He looked at Caitlin and smiled as he held her hand. Suddenly, everything bad that had happened the past months simply vanished. They weren't important anymore.

"This is what I wanted you to fight for".

He simply nodded and kissed her again. She had been right. This, the babies, her, the two of them, the four of them, they had been all along what had been important. When he had lost the use of his legs, he had gotten lost in his fears, in his anger, in his despair and it had brought only darkness. As it had been the case when she had come back in to his life, she had been the light and he vowed himself to never turn away from it ever again.


	37. So beautiful and pure

_**One and a half months later**_

After the dust had finally settled and things had gone back to normal, things were on the up rise. Alvin had returned to work, Caitlin spent most of her time resting and finding it very difficult to get around. The twins were keeping her up most of the night, on most nights, with their incessant dancing and kicking and even though she was exhausted, there was nothing she loved more. What she loved even more was that no matter how big she got, the way Alvin looked at her didn't change.

After having had a nice dinner, at their apartment, with Hank and Meredith and Kim and Adam, they had turned in for the night, but not before Alvin had left her sailing somewhere up in seventh heaven.

It came to her at first as if it was part of her dream, but after a while, she woke and realized it wasn't. She sat up in bed and looked at the time. It was 4 am. She felt her stomach tighten again. It was slightly odd and uncomfortable but it wasn't painful. She rubbed her belly and waited. Seven minutes later on the clock, another one hit her. She kept timing her contractions until it was 5 am. They were irregular, some at 5 minute intervals and others at 7 minutes. She debated whether or not to wake Alvin up but as they were quite irregular, she felt she had time and at the rate things were going, their alarm clock would be the one to pull him from his peaceful sleep.

She difficultly got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. A nice warm shower would do her good, especially if in the hours that followed, she'd be in labor in a hospital room. After a long shower, she felt revived and relaxed. She dried off and put on a shirt and a pair of leggings quietly, careful to not wake Alvin up.

Feeling the coldness of the empty spot next to him in bed, Alvin opened his eyes and looked at the time. It was half past 5. He slightly rolled over to look for Cat. He was surprised when he saw her standing in front of the wardrobe dressed. He sat up and looked at her.

"Everything alright baby"?

"I didn't want to wake you. I'm having contractions".

He pulled the bed covers away from his body and stood.

"How far apart"? he asked as he walked towards her.

"Between 5 and 7 minutes. Don't worry, I think we still have time".

He caressed her belly just as a contraction arrived. She blinked a couple of times then looked down as Alvin followed her stare.

"My water just broke", she said scared and amused at the same time.

He smiled, he had been through this before and he knew that by the end of the day, they would be a family. "And you thought we still had time".

"I guess we don't really after all", she said laughing. The fact that he was calm and relaxed helped her.

"Why don't you change and I'll get dressed quickly and put the bags into the car and we'll head over to Med".

She changed and headed into the living room while Alvin was outside. When he came back he put his arm around her.

"Still OK"?

"Yep. So far so good".

He looked at what she was carrying in her hand. "What are you doing with that"? he asked pointing at the towel.

"Well, you don't want me to wet the car seat do you"?

"Good point".

As they neared the hospital, the contractions got more intense and closer together.

He held her hand. "Nice, slow and deep breaths. We're almost there".

At 8 Hank, arrived upstairs as he hung up the phone with a huge smile on his face. "That was Alvin, Caitlin's in labor. They got to the hospital a little more than an hour ago".

"This is so exciting", said Kim.

"I'm going to head over to the hospital", he said.

"Mind if I join you"? she asked.

"Why don't we all go"? said Jay.

Hank nodded. "I'm sure they'll like that. But it could take a while".

Jay shrugged. "Well, in all honesty, I'd rather be there waiting for good news, than here".

"Alright then. But we need to stay available, so be ready if we're needed".

Dr. Baxter walked in with the nurse that had admitted Caitlin an hour earlier. Caitlin had been walking up and down the hospital room, trying to get her mind off the contractions. Every now and then, they were so strong and intense that she paused and bent over the bed, allowing Alvin to massage her lower back.

"Caitlin, Alvin. How are we doing"?

"Can you ask me that question again when all of this is over"? she said as she grabbed again the corner of the bed.

"Now, might be the time to ask for an epidural", said Baxter.

"Oh yeah", responded Caitlin through gritted teeth.

"Let's check your progress first. Nancy says you were at 3 centimeters when you arrived".

He waited as Alvin helped Caitlin settle down on the bed. He put on a pair of gloves and checked her out. He gave a big smile.

"You're at 6 centimeters. Good work mom. We probably have a couple of hours. Shall I call the anesthesiologist"?

She nodded as another strong contraction settled in.

He smiled as he watched Alvin help Caitlin get through it. "Alright then, I'll get him up here and I'll check back on you in an hour. You're doing great".

Twenty minutes later, the anesthesiologist came in with his intern and Nancy.

"Alvin', said Nancy smiling, "you've got a group of impatient people out in the waiting room. Now might be a good time for you to give them an update. I'll come get you when were done".

He knew it was protocol, that the future fathers were best to wait outside during the epidural. The last thing they needed was one passing out at the sight of the needle. He kissed Cat and left the room.

Everyone stood as he entered the waiting room.

"So"? said Hank, who had been joined by Meredith, most probably as excited and eager as Caitlin and Alvin.

"She's doing great. She's at 6 centimeters and they're doing the epidural as we speak. Doctor says it could be another couple of hours".

"That's great to hear", said Kim.

"Do you need anything"? asked Jay.

He gave Jay a pat on the shoulder. "Thanks, we're good. Caitlin and I appreciate you all being here".

"There's no place we'd rather be", said Hank as he put his arm around Al.

Nancy walked inside the waiting room.

"Al"?

"All done"? he asked with a huge smile on his face. This was definitely one of the happiest days of his life.

"She's all yours", smiled back Nancy.

Al looked at the others. "I better get back. Don't want to miss a minute of this".

Hank nodded. "Don't know if we'll be able to stay but if we can't, keep me posted and tell Caitlin I love her".

"Of course". The two men hugged and then Alvin headed back to Caitlin's room.

He quietly opened the door and let himself in, her eyes were closed and she appeared to be resting.

"I'm in love with the anesthesiologist", she said still with her eyes closed.

He shook his head. "How'd you know it was me"?

She opened her eyes and smiled. "Your aftershave. You know after all this time, I still don't know if you wear it to ward off women or attract them".

He walked over, sat on the bed and took her hand. "To ward them off… I've got you, I don't want anyone else".

"Good, let's keep it that way".

"You should talk, you just told me your in love with the anesthesiologist. Not sure I can compete".

She laughed. "Alright then let's say I'm in love with the epidural. It will wear off eventually but my love for you never will".

He leaned over. "That I can compete and live with". He kissed her. "Hank sends his love and all the others are impatient and happy to hear that things are going well".

Nancy walked in and headed for the monitor to check on the progress of the contractions. She looked over at Caitlin.

"You feeling alright"?

"Yeah, why"?

She walked over to the bed and put her hand on her belly and felt around. "You're having really strong contractions and they're very close together". She continued palping her belly. "And I think that twin B is engaging".

She grabbed a pair of gloves. "I'm going to check you progress". After checking her out, she removed her glove. "You're fully dilated, Caitlin and I can feel the head".

Caitlin's eyes grew big. "What? I was 6 centimeters less than an hour ago. How can that be"?

Nancy smiled and shrugged. "The mystery of labor. The epidural has relaxed you, letting the contractions fully take their effect. I'll get Dr. Baxter and we'll get set up".

She hurriedly walked out of the room and returned minutes later and started preparing trolleys and trays of equipment.

Dr. Baxter entered the room. "Seems to me that these babies are impatient to meet mom and dad"!

"We're impatient to meet them too", said Al holding Cat's hand.

Nancy put up the stirrups and helped Caitlin get into position. She then helped Dr. Baxter put on his gown. He then settled at the end of the bed, that they had changed into a birthing bed, and between Caitlin's legs.

"Now, I know it's not going to be easy. The epidural is still at the peak of it's effect and you won't feel the contractions to push, so Nancy will tell you when to push".

Caitlin looked at Nancy and nodded.

"When the next contraction comes, I want you to exhale, then take a deep breath and you're going to hold it until the count of ten and push down at the same time", said Nancy.

Alvin looked at Caitlin. "You've got this baby. I'm right here with you".

Nancy looked at the monitor as she stayed next to Caitlin. "Ok, a contraction is building up".

Caitlin exhaled then took a breath in and pushed down as Nancy counted. Alvin held on to her hand as he supported her back with the other one.

"That was a great push Caitlin. Just keep doing what you're doing. Another big push and the head will be fully engaged and blocked".

She nodded. She went in for another push then laid back down. Beads of sweat were starting to form on her forehead. Alvin took a small washcloth and wiped her forehead.

As she pushed again, Dr. Baxter looked at her. "Caitlin, the head is out, I need you to stop pushing". Caitlin did as she was told and found it actually hard to do, due to the pressure that was down there.

Nancy prepared a cloth and draped it over Caitlin's chest.

"Alright, one last small push".

Seconds later, Dr. Baxter lifted the baby and placed it on Caitlin's chest. "Congratulations! It's a boy"! The little baby boy started to cry as Alvin kissed Caitlin. They looked at him together, with tears of joy in their eyes, as Nancy rubbed him slightly with another cloth.

"He's beautiful", said Alvin kissing him then Caitlin again.

"He's got your eyes", Cat said.

"And your lips", said Alvin.

Nancy took him. "Let's check this little guy out. Do we have a name picked out yet"?

"Gabriel", said Alvin.

"Welcome to the world Gabriel", said Nancy as she headed towards the baby station with him, Alvin following.

Dr. Baxter stood. "You're back to 7 centimeters. That's normal, with twins. We'll just wait for a while".

"We've got 6lbs, 9oz and 16 inches", said Nancy. "He's perfect. Alvin would you like to do some skin to skin before we get him dressed"?

"I'd love that", he said. He headed towards the rocking chair next to Caitlin's bed, removed his shirt and sat down. Nancy placed Gabriel on Alvin's chest then a warm blanket over them. The little boy that had been crying, immediately stopped and closed his eyes as he held on tightly to Alvin's little finger.

Caitlin smiled at the scene. It was so beautiful and pure. Alvin looked at her and smiled back. "Nancy, is there anyway, I can ask you to take a picture of the two of them"?

"Of course".

In the waiting room, Hank's phone beeped. Everyone turned their attention towards him. "It's a boy! 6lbs 9 oz and 16 inches".

Everyone cheered, smiled and hugged each other. Hank returned to the text message. "Caitlin is doing fine. They're waiting for baby number 2".

"Do we know his name yet"? asked Kim.

"Gabriel", responded Hank.

"That's a beautiful name".

"And I have a picture", said Hank as he passed the phone around.

"What an angel", said Meredith.

"A perfect mix of Alvin and Caitlin", said Jay as he handed Hank his phone back.

"One down, one to go", said Hank as they sat back down.


	38. Guardian Angels

Things had definitely slowed down and Caitlin was in a sort of holding pattern. The contractions were slowly picking up in pace and strength but she was only at 8 centimeters. She watched from the bed as Alvin walked around the room with a dressed Gabriel in his arms. While waiting for twin A to join them, she had been able to breastfeed and Gabriel was satiated.

"He's beautiful", said Alvin as he looked at him.

"Yes he is, he's perfect. Just like his dad".

The fetal heart monitor's alarm rang and within seconds, Nancy entered the room.

"What's going on"? asked a panicked Caitlin.

"Twin A must have shifted", she said as she removed the captor and lowered it to find the heartbeat. It came back up on the monitor.

"See", said Nancy, "nothing to worry about".

Caitlin and Alvin looked at each other and gave a sigh of relief.

Just as Nancy reached the door, the alarm sounded again. She turned heels and looked at it. Only this time, it was capturing the heartbeat. It was a different kind of alarm.

Another nurse came in and Nancy looked at her. "We've got decels on twin A. Page Dr. Baxter".

"What's going on"? said an even more panicked Caitlin.

Alvin put Gabriel down in his baby cot and walked over to Caitlin.

"I'm going to have a quick look, Ok Caitlin'? said Nancy as she put on a pair of gloves. "Nice and relaxed for me".

Before Nancy could say anything, Dr. Baxter walked in hastily. "Talk to me Nancy".

"I've got a prolapsed cord", said Nancy as she looked at him. Caitlin and Alvin could see from the look on her face that it was serious.

"What's going on"? asked Alvin.

Dr. Baxter moved in closer. "Nancy, whatever you do, don't move your hand from there. Caitlin, Alvin, a prolapsed cord means that the umbilical cord is coming out before the baby and the baby's head is applying pressure on it, not allowing enough blood flow or oxygen to the baby".

"Oh my God", said Caitlin weakly.

Dr. Baxter looked at the other nurse. "Get me an OR now, we're going in for a crash C-section". He then looked at Nancy. "Get up on that bed and keep applying pressure". Still with her hand inside Caitlin, Nancy climbed on the bed. Instantly more nurses walked into the room, adding additional stress and panic.

"OR 3 is ready", said the second nurse.

"Let's go.. go..go"! said Baxter as they wheeled Caitlin out of the room. Alvin stayed at her side as they ran down a long corridor, leading to split doors. The doors opened and as they passed through them one of the nurses stopped Alvin.

"I'm sorry Al, you can't go with us".

"What"? he said as he watched the gurney continue down the corridor.

She gently pushed him back behind the doors. "I'm sorry". The doors closed between them and locked.

"Let's get her hooked up to the monitors ASAP", said Dr. Baxter. "I'm scrubbing in".

The anesthesiologist looked at him. "Are we going in for full anesthesia"?

"We don't have time, she's still has the epidural, push in another dose and get Peds in here stat"!

Caitlin's entire body shook, her heart was beating at a 100 mph and she was crying. "Please, save my baby", she whispered.

[I decided to add lyrics to a song which I find suits this moment. It will come between 'shot's in bold and italics. The song is This Woman's Work by Kate Bush]

Alvin stood in front of the doors feeling helpless, lost and scared that he might never see either one of them alive again.

 _ **Pray God you can cope.**_ _ **  
**_ _ **I stand outside this woman's work,**_ _ **  
**_ _ **This woman's world.**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Ooh, it's hard on the man,**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Now his part is over.**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Now starts the craft of the father.**_

He walked back towards the room and realized that a nurse had taken Gabriel to the nursery. He walked into the waiting room like a zombie, his heart tearing up at the seams.

They all stood when he walked in, with smiles on their faces, but seeing how disheartened and lost he was, their mood suddenly changed. Hank walked over to him. The rest of them watched from afar as the two men talked and then Alvin collapsed into Hank's arms.

Dr. Baxter stood at the end of the operating table, scalpel in hand. "Start the clock. Incision of the skin".

Alvin sat in the waiting room among the others. His mind on Caitlin and how he couldn't imagine his life without her.

Caitlin felt tugging and pulling.

"Baby's out", said Dr. Baxter. He handed the baby over to the pediatric team. Nancy looked at Caitlin. "It's a girl".

Caitlin tried to see where she was but couldn't. "She's not crying, why isn't she crying"!?

She then heard the pediatrician. "Let's get some oxygen flowing. Apgar score is at 4".

Caitlin shut her eyes and started to cry.

 _ **I know you have a little life in you yet.**_ _ **  
**_ _ **I know you have a lot of strength left.**_ _ **  
**_ _ **I know you have a little life in you yet.**_ _ **  
**_ _ **I know you have a lot of strength left.**_

Alvin sat with this head between his knees, feeling as though he were unable to breathe.

 _ **I should be crying, but I just can't let it show.**_ _ **  
**_ _ **I should be hoping, but I can't stop thinking**_ _ **.**_

Caitlin suddenly felt dizzy and weak and started to phase out as she heard her daughter's cry.

"Increase suction. Give me more lap pads. Her uterus is atonic and not contracting. She's losing too much blood. Start the O neg. And inject 30 of Oxytocin"!

A nurse walked into the waiting room and walked towards Alvin. He stood instantly.

"How are they"?

"Your daughter, had a difficult start but is doing great, they're keeping her in observation just a bit longer. You'll be able to see her soon".

Par of the battle had been won. Their second child, a baby girl, was doing great.

"And Caitlin"?

"I'm afraid that there are complications. They're still working on her".

Alvin felt the wind blown out of him, he was unable to say a word.

"What kind of complications are we talking about"? said Hank taking over for his friend.

"Her uterus is not reacting the way it should be and she's losing a lot of blood".

"What if they can't get it under control"? asked Meredith.

"They may need to perform a hysterectomy to save her life".

"Are you saying that she could die"? asked Hank realizing that they were slowly starting to lose Alvin.

"Again, they're doing everything they can. I need to get back".

Alvin took a few steps back, his eyes wide open in fear. He found himself with his back to the wall and then he slid down and sat on the ground sobbing.

Everyone looked at each other, no one knew what to say or do. The news had hit them all hard.

Meredith walked over and sat down next to him. She put her arm around him.

"I can't lose another person I love", he said sobbing.

"I know. She's strong and she's a fighter. I know she won't give up".

"Still atonic, push another 30 of oxytocin and if things don't improve we won't have any other option than to do a hysterectomy", said Dr. Baxter as he looked at his intern. "Keep the O neg flowing".

The alarms sounded. The anesthesiologist looked at Baxter. "We're losing her. Her BP is dropping as well as heartrate".

Baxter looked over the green cloth screen at Caitlin. "Come on Caitlin, hang in there just a little bit longer".

Alvin held on to Caitlin's engagement ring, that they had removed before she went into the OR. He put it around his finger.

 _ **Of all the things I should've said,  
That I never said.  
All the things we should've done,  
That we never did.  
All the things I should've given,  
But I didn't.**_

 _ **Oh, darling, make it go,  
Make it go away.**_

Flashes of the times he had pushed her away came into his head. The things he had said to push her away from him. Had he told her enough that he loved her? Had he shown her?

 _ **Give me these moments back.**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Give them back to me.**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Give me that little kiss.**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Give me your hand.**_ _ **  
**_

He thought back to all the happy moments they'd had. When he'd kissed her for the first time. When she had told him that she wanted to be with him. When he had told her he loved her. When he had found out she was pregnant and he had proposed. How he would watch her sleep, how he would steal a kiss when she least expected it. He would give anything to still have those moments with her!  
 _ **  
**_ _ **I know you have a little life in you yet.  
I know you have a lot of strength left.  
I know you have a little life in you yet.  
I know you have a lot of strength left.**_

As a tear fell from Alvin's eye towards the ground, drops of blood landed and splattered on the OR floor.

 _ **I should be crying, but I just can't let it show.  
I should be hoping, but I can't stop thinking**_

 _ **Of all the things we should've said,  
That were never said.  
All the things we should've done,  
That we never did.  
All the things that you needed from me.  
All the things that you wanted for me.  
All the things that I should've given,  
But I didn't.**_

 _ **Oh, darling, make it go away.  
Just make it go away now.**_

Alvin paced around the waiting room floor. It had been two hours since they had headed for the OR and more than hour since the nurse had come to give them news.

Dr. Baxter and his intern walked into the waiting room. Dr. Baxter removed his surgical cap and walked towards Alvin. Alvin shook. He wasn't ready to hear what Dr. Baxter could be telling him.

"She's in recovery. She gave us quite a scare but she's a fighter".

Alvin felt the weight of the world remove itself from his shoulders and back. "So, she's OK"?

"Yes. She'll make a full recovery". Dr. Baxter paused. "And you'll still be able to have children".

"Thank you so much", said Al as he shook Dr. Baxter's hand.

Once he and his intern had left the waiting room, Alvin, Hank and the others hugged.

Dr. Baxter looked at his intern as they stopped by the recovery room.

"She's got one hell of a guardian angel watching over her", said his intern.

"I think she's got more than one", said Dr. Baxter.

Dr. Baxter couldn't have been more right. She had five guardian angels: her father, Camille, Justin, Antonio and Lexi!


	39. One-way ticket!

_**Two years later**_

The sun was shining. It was a beautiful August day.

Caitlin waited behind the closed doors for her cue.

Pachebel's Canon started to play and the doors opened. She walked slowly, bouquet in hand and wearing a beautiful dress. She smiled upon seeing Alvin in his three piece suit, standing near the altar. He smiled as he watched walk down the aisle with such elegance and finesse. As she got closer to him, he winked at her and she winked back.

When she reached the altar, she positioned herself to the left of the priest and turned to face Alvin. His eyes were all over her, she was stunning and glowing. She turned her attention to the church pews and melted as she saw Gabriel in a suit and little pillow in hand that carried the wedding bands, waiting patiently for his turn. Charlotte, was holding a nearly empty basket of petal roses, and a beautiful flower girl dress. Both sat between Kim and Adam. Both children waved at their mother and smiled. She smiled back. It was amazing to see how they had grown so quickly.

The first couple of months had been difficult… OK so the first year had been difficult, but she and Alvin had made the perfect team and he had somehow managed to survive the first year combining work and helping around the house with the twins. A couple of time a week, Meredith would stop over and help Cat in anything she needed, but her preferred thing was helping her take care of the twins.

When they were six months old, Alvin and Caitlin got them christened. They had chosen Meredith and Hank as Gabriel's godparents and Kim and Adam as Charlotte's godparents. And after two years, the knew that they had made the best choices.

Before they'd had even the time to blink, their first birthday had rolled by, then their second. And somehow, Alvin and Caitlin wished they could slow down time. Caitlin had never returned to work, it had been her sole priority to be there for the twins and not hand them over to a nanny. Nevertheless, there were times, when Hank would call on her for some help or advice on a case. He always felt that she had that extra something, the eye of the lynx, a way of seeing past what some could not. He affectionately called her 'his consultant'.

And here they were…

She turned her attention back to Alvin. "I love you", he mouthed at her.

"I love you more", she mouthed back.

"Not possible", he answered smiling.

Suddenly the Bridal Chorus started and all turned their attention towards the church doors. When they opened, they all watched as Meredith walked inside. Caitlin watched her briefly before shifting her attention to Hank that had taken a step forward, placing himself nearer to the altar. She loved to see the happiness and love on his face. It had taken him a long time but she loved the fact that he was allowing himself to love and be happy again. She had been honored when Meredith had asked her to be her maid of honor and just as thrilled when Hank had asked Alvin. The four of them had a history together, they had a present and they were going to have a future. They were family now, immediate family.

The ceremony had been beautiful and when the priest had announced them husband and wife, everyone had applauded. The newly married couple held hands as they walked back down the aisle. As Alvin and Caitlin joined to follow them, Gabriel and Charlotte came running to them. They each picked up one of the twins and joined their free hands to follow Meredith and Hank.

The reception and dinner was a success. Caitlin sat next to Kim as they watched Adam and Alvin dance with Gabriel and Charlotte.

"She's awfully quiet", said Cat.

Kim smiled. "I know right, and the minute we'll be home, she'll be wide awake"!

Cat laughed as they both looked at Heather in her Maxi Cosi. She was 3 months old and Caitlin's goddaughter. "Well, maybe you should try to take a nap now".

"With all this music"? said Kim laughing. "I can't even understand how she manages to sleep".

"They look really happy together", said Caitlin as she watched Hank and Meredith dance.

"Yeah, they do. I'm really happy for them".

"So am I".

Haley walked over to them. "So who's next"?

"What do you mean", asked Kim.

"Well to get married. You and Adam are married, Alvin and Cat got married last year, now Hank and Meredith.. so who's next"?

Cat smiled. "Well, Kevin is still single, so that technically only leaves you and Jay".

"I don't think he's the type to get married", said Hailey.

"Sometimes, life sneaks up on you Hailey, when you least expect it. Had you told me five years ago that today I'd be married to Alvin and a mother of twin 2-year-olds, madly in love and blessed, I would have never believed you. You never know what will happen, so keep an open mind".

"I guess you're right", said Hailey as she headed back nonchalantly towards the dance floor.

What Hailey didn't know was that Jay was planning on proposing and sooner rather than later. Even though Jay and Cat had grown apart when she had returned to Chicago, over the months and year, they had gotten much closer. She was sort of his confident and she loved that he trusted her with his deepest secrets.

"Hey, I forgot to ask, how are things in the new house"? Kim asked Cat.

"Great. It's nice and much bigger which is really what we needed. Gabriel and Charlotte have a much bigger room and as they grow they'll be able to have their own room. They enjoy playing out in the backyard and I have eyes on them from the kitchen, dining room and living room when they're outside. It's perfect. I miss our apartment, but with Jay and Hailey renting it out, well at least it stays in the family".

As they talked some more, Alvin walked over to her. "Hey gorgeous, I believe they are playing our song".

She paid attention and smiled. "I think you're right".

"Feeling up to it or are your feet too sore"?

She lifted the bottom of her dress and he looked at her shocked, she was wearing sandals. "What"? she said laughing. "You really thought I'd stay the entire day and evening in high heels"?!

"No. That's why I love you… my kind of woman"!

She stood and he led her to the dance floor. When she was finally in his arms he kissed her. "Have I told you lately that I love you"?

She smiled. "Yes, you tell me every day. And not only do you tell me, but you show me how deep your love is every chance you get. I love you with all my heart".

He looked deep into her eyes and saw a love so profound, he could have drowned in it. He then looked at Gabriel and Charlotte who were dancing with Hank and Meredith.

"I love Gabriel and Charlotte".

He shifted his attention back to Caitlin. "I love you and I love Aaron", he said as he put his hand on Caitlin's imposing belly.

As he continued dancing with her, he realized that life didn't get any better than that. A wife that he loved and loved him back, two wonderful children who loved him and for whom he was their hero and that in 3 months, Aaron would make their family complete.

Things had been difficult at times. It's hard moving on and daring to open your heart back up. But Caitlin had been right. She had asked him to take the road with her, a road that could be difficult. And it had lead to a beautiful destination. A destination for which they had taken a one-way ticket!


End file.
